


Assassin's Doubt - Sanders Sides AU

by kikcatdance, Sweetheart114



Series: Sanders Sides Royalty AU [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders is a Sweetheart, Character Death, Gen, Human Sides (Sanders Sides), Kid Thomas Sanders, Kidnapping, King Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Magic, Minor Character Death, Protective Morality | Patton Sanders, Sorcerers, Swordfighting, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 42,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22312921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikcatdance/pseuds/kikcatdance, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetheart114/pseuds/Sweetheart114
Summary: A king who just wants to show his inner child. An adviser who wants everything a certain way. A servant trying to follow orders while watching over his son. A Duke who wants to be King and will do anything to do it. And an assassin who wants nothing to do with the life he’s been forced into. Trouble arises when the mission fails, the assassin is found out but the true villain isn't revealed. Will the assassin be able to convince the King that not everything is as it seems, or will he face death and watch the Kingdom fall to shambles?
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Series: Sanders Sides Royalty AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700137
Comments: 18
Kudos: 120





	1. Where it Begins

A brisk knock on the door stirs the silence in the room. Following it, a soft voice.  
“Come in.”  
The door opened to a young man with a book in his left hand. His navy glove matched his buttoned up vest that rested over his white top. The vest and gloves carried a golden trim, showing is relation to the royal family with his black leggings and matching boots. His hair was brushed neatly back with a pair of glasses resting on his nose.  
“Your majesty.”  
The King turned to greet the man. He stood on the balcony that overlooked his Kingdom, head held high with pride. He wore only a white blouse, white leggings and his black boots. His hair waved and styled to his liking.  
“Your presence is required for the Duke’s arrive in an hour. We want the castle to be prepared, as well as all the staff.”  
“Yes, I’m aware.”  
The King sighed. He turned back towards the Kingdom, looking out with a blank expression. He leaned forward, crossing and resting his forearms on the railing. The Duke, his brother, was always a nuisance, never a pleasure. Anytime he would visit, he would cause issues in the Kingdom. He always preferred his brother to stay out in the countryside, in the villages.  
The King was snapped from his thoughts as footsteps sounded behind him.  
“He is only here for a few nights, your majesty. It is wise we make his nights worthwhile as to ensure we will have good trades with the farmers for those in the Kingdom.”  
“Your right, as always.”  
The King turned, re-entering his room. He stepped to his wardrobe and opened it. He found one of his sashes, sliding it on before looking at himself in the mirror. He sighed, eyes focusing on the image of his family, his father, mother, brother and himself. The small photo rested in the top right corner of his mirror, reminding him every morning that he was making his father proud.  
The King turned to part, only to be stopped by a voice.  
“Your cloak, Roman.”  
Roman huffed, giving a pouting face to the other man.  
“Do I have to?”  
“As the Royal Adviser, I am responsible to ensure your appearance is formal and proper when greeting your guests. Your cloak is needed.”  
Roman huffed, turning around to grab his cloak from the wardrobe. He pulled it off the hanger before slamming the door shut. He turned and tossed the article at the adviser.  
“I’ll put it on closer to. The silly thing only ever slows me down, anyways.”  
Roman turned for the door only for the Adviser to step in front of him.  
“Logan, I’m serious. I’m not wearing it right now.”  
“Alright, but you cannot greet the Duke without it, your Majesty.”  
Roman nodded, stepping passed Logan and opening the door. They stepped into the hallway as two guards walked past on their rounds. Both stopped to bow to the King before continuing on their duties. Logan closed the door behind them before following after the King.  
“So, where do we stand with the preparations?”  
“The cooks are hard at work for the feast tonight and are on time. The maids have prepared a room for the Duke in the East wing, as you requested. The servants are with the stable-boy, awaiting his arrival to bring his baggage in.”  
“So, we are almost ready?”  
“Indeed.”  
“Thomas, come back here!”  
Roman and Logan came to a halt as they reached the stairs as a young boy ran around the ballroom below them, two guards and one of the servants chasing him. Roman chuckled and watched as he walked down the stairs. Logan grumbled, reluctantly following.  
“You can’t catch me!” the boy cheered.  
Thomas ducked under one of the guards before running past the second. The servant was exhausted, his freckled face red as he tried to catch his breath. His outfit similar to that of the Adviser, only a pale, baby blue vest hung loosely from his shoulders over the white top.  
Roman paused at the base of the steps as the boy ran in circles around the guards. Roman waited until the boy passed close to him. Then he swept the boy into his arms, causing him to squeal in surprise.  
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?”  
Everyone straightened at the King’s words. The two guards dropped to their knees as the Servant looked at the King like a deer in headlights.  
“You two, return to your posts.”  
“Yes, your majesty.”  
The guards quickly scrambled to their feet before rushing off to their posts. Thomas began squirming in Roman’s arms, wanting to be put down. Roman adjusted his hold on Thomas before approaching the servant in the room.  
“I’m so sorry, your majesty. I said I would keep him out of trouble, but I turned my back for a second and he had run off and I-”  
“It’s quite alright, Patton.”  
Roman set Thomas on the ground, only for the boy to turn and hug his leg.  
“Little ones have a lot of energy and can be quite a handful. I would know, I was the biggest handful at his age.”  
“What of your duties, Patton?”  
Patton turned as Logan spoke. The stern look on his face startled the servant.  
“Oh no, I forgot. I’m so sorry, I’ll get right to it.”  
Patton ran out of the room, leaving the little boy clinging to Roman’s leg. Roman felt a small tug on his shirt, looking down to see Thomas looking up at him.  
“Am I in trouble?”  
The scared look on his face only made Roman want to hug the kid.  
“Yes, you are. You need to listen to your father, Thomas,” Logan spoke sternly.  
Thomas nervously clung to Roman before hiding his face.  
“Nonsense.”  
Roman kneeled down to Thomas’ height, smiling at the boy.  
“How about you and I go get some flowers from the garden, and you can give them to Duke Remus when he arrives?”  
Thomas’s eyes lit up as he nodded frantically. Roman chuckled lightly as he stood, taking the boy’s hand. Roman turned to guide the boy to the palace gardens.  
“But your royal duties, your majesty. We still have-”  
“You seem to have a handle on it, Logan. It’ll be fine.”  
Logan huffed, annoyed. He tossed the King’s cloak onto the railing before turning to check in on the preparations.  
~-------~-------~  
“You know your job, you are to fulfill your purpose like I hired you to. Your master would not be impressed if you returned and have failed.”  
The teen nodded, looking down. His hair covered his violet eyes, brushed forwards by his black cloak. Underneath was a dark purple blouse he was given before they left with a slightly lighter scarf around his neck. He wore black jeans with a set of ankle boots. A dagger sat attached to his belt, hidden by the cloak. His bag sat beside him, a change of clothes and his assassin outfit inside.  
He prayed they wouldn’t search him when they arrived.  
He glanced up at the other man, the Duke who hired him. The Duke looked down at a scroll in his hand, eyes focused. His black blouse blended with his leggings and boots. His sash a vibrant green, standing out against the dark outfit underneath.  
The boy was nervous but didn’t show it. He was sold as a child to pay a debt to an assassin guild. He was now a trained assassin, but not a highly trustable one. He would normally only fill small roles, such as a uncompilant farmer or a traitorous guard. Now, he was set to work with Duke Remus to kill the King. If he failed, he would be killed by either the Royal Guard or the Assassin’s Guild. He didn’t want to know which it would be if he failed.  
He glanced up at the Duke, only to meet his hazel eyes and quickly look away. He heard movement from the Duke. Then a hand grabbed his chin and forcefully turned him to look at the Duke.  
“You look at no one, speak to no one. I will speak for you, understood.”  
The boy frantically nodded.  
“Understood!”  
The boy yelped as the Duke dug his nails in, wanting a verbal answer.  
“Yes, Sir.”  
The Duke released him, and the boy quickly looked away. The carriage then came to a halt. He looked up to see the Kingdom walls as the guards opened them. He watched as the countryside changed to small houses, block by block, filled with people going about their lives. Lives that would soon change forever because of him.  
He looked down as closed his eyes tightly. Terror ran through him as the image of his Master flashed before him. Remembering the last time he failed a mission and the punishment he received afterwards.  
He’d do anything to not receive that again.  
But killing royalty may be something out of reach for him. He could barely bring himself to kill the few peasants he had, and he would cry for hours afterwards when he was alone. He hated the guilt, the pain, the looks of terror that stained his mind from the killings.  
Maybe he could find a way out. He’d have other people he could turn to in the castle. Maybe he could gain someone’s trust and be protected.  
If they find out about you, you’ll be killed for murder anyways.  
The boy shivered as his master’s voice echoed in his head. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he didn’t have long to figure it out. He looked out the window to see the palace before them.  
They were here.


	2. Oh Brother

Roman walked back into the ballroom, an eager Thomas in tow with his arms filled with a colourful bouquet of flowers. Roman hesitated for a second as he noticed an annoyed Logan waiting for them.   
“Go find your father, Thomas.”  
Thomas nodded, running off. Logan’s eyes followed the boy until he was out of the room. He turned back to the King, disappointed.  
“You can’t always use him as an excuse to not do your duties.”  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
Logan picked Roman’s cloak up and approached the King.  
“You have a kingdom of people who rely on you to lead them now. You don’t have time for these childish antics.”  
Roman groaned as Logan put his cloak over the King’s shoulders.  
“The Duke has entered the Kingdom, so we will be arriving momentarily. We must be at the Palace entrance for when he arrives.”  
Logan turned and ushered Roman in the direction Thomas ran off in. Logan opened the door as they stepped into the entrance way. Roman watched as the main doors were pulled open, the guards lining the steps down. Roman moved to his position beside Patton, who held onto Thomas’ hand. Logan stood on Roman’s other side as a horse drawn carriage pulled into the Palace.  
“After you, your Majesty.”  
Roman sighed, adjusting the cloak before he approached the steps. Patton and Logan followed a couple steps behind him. Roman watched as the Duke stepped out of the carriage, Roman mentally bracing himself for his brother’s antics. Roman focus changed thought, as another boy stepped out of the carriage. A young boy, only a few years younger than him, who Roman didn’t know.  
“Roman!”  
Roman internally groaned as his brother walked over to him. The duke hugged his brother, roughly patting him on the back.  
“Nice to see you too, Remus,” Roman spoke.  
Remus stepped back, looking his brother up and down.  
“You haven’t changed a bit, little bro.”  
“Neither have you.”  
The two turned as a small cough caught their attention. They turned and looked down, see Thomas holding out his flowers.  
“These are for you, Mr Duke.”  
Remus smiled, looking down.  
“You didn’t tell me you had a child here. Thank you, cutie.”  
Remus accepted the flowers as Thomas grinned, moving back to Patton. Logan spoke up.  
“Who is your guest? You did not mention that you were bringing anyone with you.”  
“Oh, him? He’s just a servant I’ve acquired. Virgil!”  
The boy scrambled over to Remus, looking at the ground. Roman caught the boy’s eyes for a second before he looked away again. There was something off about him, Roman felt it.  
“Well, the servants will deliver your things to your room. As for your servant, we can prepare a room for-”  
“He’ll be fine with me.”  
The Duke took the boy by the arm, pulling him in. Roman saw that the boy was uncomfortable, but brushed it off for that moment.  
“Well, your servant can assist mine with the final meal preparations while I show you around. We’ve made a few changes I feel you’d like to see.”  
“Sounds fabulous. Lead the way.”  
Roman turned, taking Patton’s arm and pulling him closer to speak quietly. Patton looked to him in curiosity, having picked up on the boy’s discomfort himself.  
“Try to talk to this Virgil boy. See what you can learn from him about his situation because something is off.”  
Patton nodded. They walked in the main doors, entering the palace. Patton turned to one of the waiting guards, kneeling to Thomas.  
“Please, stay in the room this time, kiddo. I don’t want you getting hurt or in trouble with the Duke.”  
“Yes, Papa.”  
Thomas took the guard’s hand as he was lead off towards the servant’s bedrooms. Patton stood and turned as Roman spoke again.  
“Your servant can join Patton and they will go to assist with the final preparations in the dining hall for tonight.”  
Remus nodded, pulling Virgil closer to him, whispering in his ear.  
“Say nothing, only do as instructed.”  
Virgil nodded, turning towards Patton. The boy walked to the servant, before Patton turned and lead him down a hallway. Virgil looked up, admiring the hallway in silence.  
“So, Virgil right?”  
They boy’s attention snapped to the other servant, who was looking at him. Virgil nodded, looking down.  
“I don’t know what strict rules the Duke has you working under, but your safe to speak here. Roman’s order will overrule the Duke’s, so he can’t hurt you.”  
“Not until we leave again.”  
Virgil’s mumbled words were under his breath, but Patton heard them. He made a note to ask Roman to have the boy sleep with him and Thomas during his stay. Patton turned and guided the two to a set of stairs.  
“If there is anything going on, here and now is the best place to talk about it. I won’t repeat anything to the Duke or the King.”  
Virgil bit his lip. This could be his way out, but he had his doubts. He just met this man, and he didn’t know if he could actually trust him yet. He seemed trustworthy, but Virgil had met people who seemed trustworthy and stabbed him in the back instantly.  
But if he didn’t, he would have to go through with the killing. He would have to hurt so many people, and Patton could be one of them. He didn’t want to hurt the man, especially with his kid here for him to take care of.  
What if he hurt the kid? He couldn’t hurt a child, they were too defenseless. The kid couldn’t defend himself if he got in the way.  
Virgil felt his chest tightening, his breathing speeding up. He stumbled at the base of the stairs, falling against the wall. The world was spinning around him as his mind raced, so many thoughts of hurting all these kind people in the palace. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t, he was going to fail. He knew he couldn’t do it, that’s why he was sent. He was destined to fail.  
Patton turned at the thump, seeing the boy fallen against the wall. He was hyperventilating, shaking all over and had tears streaming down his face. Patton quickly moved over to him, hearing people from the dining room behind them moving around.  
“Virgil, breathe. You need to breathe.”  
Virgil looked up to the servant, and that’s when Patton saw it. The terror and fear in Virgil’s eyes. Virgil pushed himself against the wall, looking for a way out.  
“Just breathe. In, and out. In, and out.”  
Patton attempted to have the boy breathe with him. He failed the first few times, but then Virgil started catching on. After about five minutes, Virgil had his breathing under control, but he fell to the ground, still crying.  
Patton bit his lip, looking around. As he turned, he saw a familiar face peeking out from the dining room door.   
“Go get us a glass of water, please!” he called out.  
The servant nodded, turning and running off. Patton turned to see Virgil looking up at him, hiccuping as he wiping his tears away.  
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”  
“You didn’t do anything wrong, kiddo. You’re fine. Just try to relax, your OK.”  
Patton smiled at the boy as the servant returned with a small glass of water. Patton accepted it, dismissing the servant to the dining room. Patton took Virgil’s hands, gently placing them around the glass.  
“Small sips, just take it slow.”  
Virgil nodded, bringing the cup to his mouth. He took a few slow sips from the glass. He then closed his eyes, taking a deep breathe before looking up at Patton. Patton smiled to him, seeing the young boy had relaxed now.  
“How about you just wait here? I have to check on the preparations, making sure everything is in its place and that nothing is missing.”  
Virgil nodded. Patton stood and turned, walking into the dining room. He looked around, seeing the servants and cooks bustling around. Plates on plates of food were being brought out as the servants set up places around the table for everyone. Patton looked around, making sure everything was in place correctly.  
“I think we’re ready, Patton.”  
Patton turned as another servant approached him. Patton took one last look over the dining hall.  
“It seems like it. Have everyone take their positions, make sure that we are prepared.”  
The servant nodded. He called out to everyone as all the servants took their positions around the room.  
“And the dining hall. Not much has changed here.”  
“It seems so.”  
Patton looked up, seeing Logan, Roman and Remus entering the dining hall.  
“The first course is ready, your majesty.”  
Patton bowed to royals. He stood as Remus looked around.  
“And my servant? Where is he?”  
“I sent him to retrieve my son. He should return momentarily.”  
Remus nodded, turning to take his seat.  
“Could I have a moment with you in the hallway, your majesty?”  
Patton looked at Roman hopefully. Roman cast a glance to Logan, who gave him a nod. Logan turned to speak with Remus as Roman followed Patton across the room and out the servant door. Patton took one of the other servants by the arm, pulling them out with them. They closed the door behind them, giving them privacy.  
“Go retrieve my son. Hurry.”  
The servant nodded, running off down the hallway. Roman frowned, only to turn and see Virgil, the Duke’s servant sitting on the floor a few feet down the hallway. Roman became concerned as he noticed the young boy was shaking slightly, hid eyes red and puffy from crying.  
“What happened?”  
Roman’s voice was soft and quiet as he looked to Patton.  
“We didn’t even make it here before the kiddo had a panic attack. I don’t know why, he’ll hardly speak to me.”  
Roman nodded as they approached the boy. Once Virgil heard the footsteps, he looked up and panic overwhelmed him again. He thought the King was the Duke at first glance and broken down again.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want any of this. I shouldn’t be here. I’m only going to cause trouble and it was a mistake to bring me. I’m sorry.”  
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down.”  
Roman was taken aback at the sudden outburst. He glanced over to Patton who was now working to calm the boy down again. Roman listened to Patton’s soothing words, helping Virgil calm his breathing. A faint smile formed on the King’s face, remembering the man before him taking a father role for him when he and Remus were younger. It was how they met.  
“That’s it, your ok.”  
“I’m thinking you mistook me for my brother, yes?”  
Virgil looked over and nodded to Roman. Roman sighed, shaking his head.  
“What could my brother have done that’s made you this fearful of him?”  
Virgil froze, realizing they were catching on that something was wrong. He couldn’t let them find out anything was going on. He could be caught before he’d even have a chance.  
“Nothing, you can’t tell him anything. Please.”  
“Why?”  
“I’ll get in trouble. Please, don’t tell him anything.”  
“Then I expect you to tell me what’s going on.”  
“Your majesty?”  
Everyone turned, seeing Logan stepping into the hallway.  
“We are await you. What is taking so long?”  
Logan looked between them, frown on his face. He noticed the boy on the ground and frowned.  
“Surely the Duke will not be impressed that you two are interrogating his servant about him.”  
“Logan, that is not what is happening.”  
“Care to explain then?”  
Roman bit his lip, looking back at the servants. He turned back to Logan and sighed.  
“We’ll discuss this later. For now, we speak nothing of this. Understood?”  
“Yes, your majesty.”  
Roman looked as the servants nodded. Roman looked further down the hallway, seeing the servant with Thomas in tow approaching them. Patton turned and pulled his son into his arms, picking him up.  
“Good, now we must return to the meal before the Duke gets suspicious.”  
Logan turned and opened the door. Everyone walked back inside the dining hall and the meal began.


	3. Seeking Trouble

The boy laid in silence. He waited until he heard the faint snoring of the other two in the room with him. He quietly sat up, looking around. Across the room, he saw the faint rise and fall of the older servant and the little boy cuddled next to him. He slipped his feet off the bed, stepping silently into the wooden floor. He grabbed his cloak from the hanger, as well as his bag. He draped his cloak over his shoulders, fastening it in place and pulling up the hood.  
He slung his bag over his shoulder and reached for the door handle.  
“Where are you going?”  
Virgil spun around, wide eyed. The little boy rubbed his eyes, looking up at Virgil.  
“I just need to go for a little stroll. I can’t sleep.”  
Virgil hoped the boy would just accept that and go back to sleep. He hoped he wouldn’t wake his father and ask more questions.  
“I can’t sleep either. Can I come?”  
Virgil’s stomach twisted, that being a question he didn’t want to hear either.   
“I think-”  
“I can ask papa if I-”  
“Just stay quiet, kiddo. Let’s let Pat sleep.”  
The boy nodded. He climbed out of the bed, his little feet softly thumping on the ground as he ran over to Virgil. Virgil huffed, brushing his hood down as the little boy reached for Virgil’s hand.   
He couldn’t let the boy wake his father, as Patton would question him more. The older servant surely would let him leave, but the innocent and clueless boy had no idea what his intentions were. He didn’t know he was planning on reporting to the Duke, to inform him over everything he’s found out.  
How could he do this with the kid around?  
Virgil stepped out into the hallway and quietly closed the door behind him. The two started walking down the hallway, towards the main room and the palace gardens. Virgil was chewing his lip, hoping to be able to distract the kid and disappear again before he was noticed.   
The two entered the main room, which was surprisingly clear of the palace guard. Virgil quickly lead Thomas across the room, into the back room. Virgil opened the sliding door, stepping out onto the porch to the garden.  
“We discussed that this was a private meeting.”  
Thomas yelped, hiding behind Virgil. Virgil turned, kneeling in front of the boy.  
“You see those little dots floating around the garden?”  
Thomas looked out, noticing the little yellow dots that would appear for a few seconds then disappear again.  
“Those are fireflies. They’re fun to try and catch, but they disappear once they stop glowing. Go try and catch one, kiddo.”  
Thomas grinned, running out into the garden. Virgil stood, taking a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for the Duke’s wrath.  
“So, the boy?”  
Virgil turned, seeing the Duke in the darkest corner, looking at him. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall, an eyebrow raised.  
“I thought they were asleep, but he was awake and caught me. He was about to wake his father, and this was the only way to keep him quiet.”  
“You’re lucky he’s distracted then.”  
Remus stepped out into the shadows, taking the assassin by the arm. He head him out into the garden, away from the boy. Virgil knew he was going to be bruised from the duke’s grip. After a moment, they couldn’t hear the boy giggling anymore.  
“So, talk.”  
Virgil looked to the Duke, taken aback for a moment. Then he spoke.  
“The palace guard rotates rooms every hour, leaving the rooms open. But the King’s door is always guarded, meaning I’d need another way in. It appeared that the balcony would be accessible, but not the most stealthiest way.”  
“How long will you need? I expect this to be done either tomorrow night or the night after, boy. You don’t have long.”  
“I can attempt tomorrow, but there is no certainty that it will be successful. The guards may hear me.”  
Remus paused, looking up. Virgil turned, following his gaze. He noticed the little boy and a lump caught in his throat.  
Not Thomas. Don’t drag him into this.  
“Do you think they’d drop everything to look for him?”  
Virgil glanced between to two for a moment. He knew they would. He’d learned that the King cares deeply for the young boy. That he’d drop anything if he were to, say, vanish.  
“Yes.”  
Remus smirked, turning back to Virgil.  
“There is an unguarded exit to the Kingdom West of the castle. A merchant’s entrance if you will. Just beyond, a set of caves that was once used during the slave trade.”  
“You can’t be serious.”  
“You think I’m kidding?”  
“But he’s only a kid, Sir. I couldn’t hurt him.”  
“Your orders are to fulfill your mission, no matter the cost. That means, if you need to take him out, you do so. Understood?”  
Virgil sighed, knowing the Duke was correct.   
“Come sunrise, they will be aware. Do not return until an hour afterwards. I will inform them that I sent you to the market square to retrieve this.”  
The Duke handed Virgil a small bag with a few baked goods, surely stolen from the kitchen.  
“Leave a few with the child so he doesn’t starve, but return with a few for myself. Ensure the boy will not be able to follow you back. Come tomorrow when they are looking, stay by the King’s side. I will aid the guard in searching for him, and when you get your chance, you strike him down.”  
“Yes, Sir.”  
Virgil tucked the bagged good in his bag. He pulled out his jacket and pulled it on. He pulled out his gloves and mask as well before added his daggers to his belt. He pulled out a few cloths from his bag. He held the cloths in one hand before sliding his bag under his cloak. Remus nodded to him before making his way to the door.  
Virgil thought to himself for a moment. He’d been trained to do this. He was supposed to kidnap and kill people like it were a normal occurrence. Doing this with a little boy who had done nothing wrong though, it just didn’t feel right.   
But did he have a choice.  
Virgil quietly snuck up behind the boy. Thomas was distracted by the little bugs flicking all around him. When Virgil was meer feet from him, Thomas began backing up towards him, jumping in the air at a bug above him. Then with one last jump, the bug was in the boy’s grasp, if only for a second.  
“I caught it! V! I caught-”  
His cheers cut off by the assassin shooting a clothed hand out at him. The boy didn’t try to scream, try to fight. He was too terrified to move for several minutes. Virgil tied to cloth around the boy’s head, keeping it in his mouth and muting him.  
As he tied the knot, the boy began to struggle, panic setting in. Thomas tried to push him away, terrified, but the assassin was much stronger. As Thomas let out muffled whimpers, Virgil pinned the boys arms down, rolling him over and tying his arms behind his back. Once they were secure, he picked the boy up and threw him over his shoulder.  
He only had a few minutes until the guard would come through the gardens, and he’d be doomed. He quickly thought about the palace blueprints, remembering a way out that leads to a hallway and a back door out of the palace. One that exits in the west end, in the direction he needs to go in.  
He quickly glanced around before running for the door. He paused, pushing it open and looking around. He could feel the boy fighting against him, weakly kicking him. Virgil wanted to soothe the boy, tell him it would be ok. But surely the boy would recognize his voice and know who he was. He couldn’t risk anyone knowing his identity.  
He ran out of the palace and into the streets of the Kingdom. The west end was silent and the boy slowed to a fast walking pace. He continued, twisting along the streets, picking up his pace only to slow down again to ensure he wasn’t being followed. Once the exit was in sight, he felt a wet patch soaking through his cloak.  
Thomas was crying. The boy thought he was about the be killed.  
Virgil picked up his pace, making it to the exit and slipping out of the Kingdom. After a few more minutes of walking, the cave coming into his sight. By then, the moon was lowering to the horizon, barely illuminating the trail before him. Soon, the sun would be peeking out as dawn approached.  
Virgil went past the first two before ducking into the third one. It was at least a three foot drop into the cavern, which Virgil made easily. He walked to the back wall and set the boy down. He untied Thomas’ wrists and pulled down the gag, resting it around the boys neck.  
“Who are you? What do you want from me?”  
Virgil froze, looking at the boy’s brown eyes. The fear in them with the tear streaks down his cheeks.  
Virgil pulled around his bag. He pulled out the baked goods, setting them in the cloth while leaving about half for the Duke. He set them in front of the boy.   
Thomas looked down at them before looking back up at the assassin.  
“Are you going to kill me?”  
Virgil felt like he was just punched in the gut. He’d never be able to kill a kid, he knew it wasn’t something he could do now.  
But if he was successful, Thomas, and many other kids could die. All because of him.  
He didn’t have much of a choice, though. He had a mission, and he had to complete it.  
Otherwise someone else would.  
Virgil turned to leave, but felt a tug on his cloak. He looked back, seeing Thomas’ small hands grabbing his cloak tightly.  
“Don’t leave me here. Please. I want papa.”  
Virgil bit his lip. The caves were dark and cold. The boy could get sick, and he was only in his pajamas. Virgil unclasped his cloak, pulling up the hood on his jacket underneath as he took it off. He turned and wrapped it around the boy.  
“Please, I want to go home.”  
Virgil sighed, turning and walking towards the narrow opening of the cave. He pulled himself out, turning as the boy called to him.  
“Please! I want to go home! Take him home! Don’t leave me here!”  
Virgil could see the tears streaming down his cheeks as the boy tried to climb out after him. But the ledge was too high, and he had nothing to grasp onto. He was stuck until someone let him out.  
Virgil turned to walk back to the Kingdom, hearing the boy crying for him to take him home, to help him.   
And with every step, Virgil felt his heart break a bit more.


	4. Searching

Roman stood on his balcony, overlooking his Kingdom. The sunrise was beautiful over his Kingdom, and in the morning he was able to get himself out of bed in time to see it. He wished that some morning he’d be able to bring Patton and Thomas up to see the sunrise with him. Normally, Patton went straight to work with the other servants once dawn hit.  
A knock at the door broke Roman from his thoughts as he turned. Before he could even take a step, the door flew open to a frantic Patton running in.  
“Have you seen Thomas? Please tell me you’ve seen him.”  
“No, I haven’t. Was he not with you?”  
“No. He wasn’t in bed when I woke up. I don’t know where he is.”  
Roman walked over to the panicked servant. He placed his hands on the man’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes.  
“We’ll search the castle. He might have just woken up early and been looking for something to do. Come on, we’ll find him.”  
Patton nodded, following Roman out of his room. He walked out to see Logan come towards his room. He looked up, seeing Roman and frowning.  
“Call the guard and have a group search the palace for Thomas.”  
“Is he missing?” Logan asked.  
“We don’t know where he is, so we just want to know where he’s wandered off to.”  
Logan nodded, turning and running down the halls. Patton fidgeted the trimming on his sleeves, trying to keep his breathing under control despite his panicking.   
Roman led Patton down to the main room before taking him into the dinning hall. Remus sat at the table, looking up as they entered.  
“It appears that it’s not a ‘Good morning” moment. What’s going on?”  
“Thomas has disappeared. We’re looking for him. I’m sure we’ll find him.”  
“Shall we eat breakfast while they look. I’m sure something can be set aside for the boy later.”  
Patton nodded, taking a seat. Roman glanced around the room.  
“Where is your servant, brother?”  
“I sent him out to the market to retrieve a few things for me. Just some things I’ve missed since I’ve left.”  
“Alright. Hopefully he’ll be back soon and we can all look for Thomas.”  
Patton nodded, taking a seat with Roman. Logan entered the dining hall.  
“The Head Guard has a group searching each end of the castle. Thomas should be found within the hour.”  
Patton nodded, letting out a shaky sigh.  
They ate in near silence, the odd remark from Remus every few minutes, but nothing more. When the meal was finished, Roman stood as the Head Guard entered the room. Patton’s eyes lit up as the guard walked up to the table, only for his face to fall from the guard’s expression.  
“Have you found him?”  
“Unfortunately, there are no signs of the boy in the Palace. We are extending our search into the Kingdom and checking for any break-”  
Everyone turned as the door opened, another guard stepping in.  
“We found something, Sir.”  
Everyone’s eyes were on the guard as he spoke.  
“A door in the west end was open, not much, but enough to show someone has been in and out.”  
“Thomas was kidnapped?”  
Roman turned as Patton fell back into his chair, tears filling his eyes as his hand hovered over his mouth.  
“Take your group through the west end. Search every building, every nook and cranny in the Kingdom until he’s found with the kidnapper.”  
The Head Guard turned back and the other guard ran out. Roman took his seat next to Patton, wrapping his arms around the servant.   
“We’ll find him. I promise.”  
“But what if we don’t? You and Remus were almost killed because of someone who kidnapped the two of you. And we might not find him and what if he starves. He’s probably terrified and I can’t be there to hold him. What if they’re going to kill him? What if I never see him again?”  
“Patton, your spiralling. Breath.”  
Patton took a deep breath, Logan’s words bringing him back to reality.   
“We’ll find him. I’m sure of it. No one will be in or out of the Kingdom until we do.”  
Patton nodded.  
As the Head Guard left the room, Virgil entered. He carried a paper bag in his hand, seeming confused.  
“Is everything alright?”  
Patton looked up, as the tears in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks hit Virgil hard. He knew this was all his fault, but he couldn’t show it. He had to play dumb, be clueless.  
“Pat? Are you alright?”  
“Someone took Thomas. He’s missing.”  
“Oh no.”  
“We have the guard searching the Kingdom for him. We’ll find him.”  
“Virgil, remain here to help comfort Patton. I’ll join the guard in search of the boy.”  
“Brother, there is no need for that.”  
“I insist, brother. You let me stay here, so I will help to look.”  
“Alright. Join the guard, and the Head Guard will tell you where to go.”  
Remus nodded, leaving the room. Roman turned, speaking to Logan quietly. Logan nodded, helping Patton up and silently leading him out of the room.  
“Come with me, Virgil.”  
Virgil gulped. It couldn’t possibly be this easy. Roman was just leaving himself open for an attack right now. He couldn’t know, could he?  
Roman led him up to the King’s room, inviting him inside. Roman closed the door, leaving the two of them alone. Roman had to know, there was no way he would be doing this.  
“So? Is my brother trying to play hero again? Did he have you kidnap him, only to save him to be the hero?”  
Virgil spun around, seeing Roman leaning against the door.   
“What?” Virgil stutter out.  
“I know my brother all too well. He shows up, Thomas disappears that night, and you're gone come morning.”  
“I don’t- I mean I didn’t- I-”  
Virgil stumbled for words, unable to find something to say.  
“It’s alright if you did. Just tell me where he is, we’ll get him, and we’ll pretend that nothing happened. If my brother ordered you to do this, just tell me and he’ll face the consequences, not you.”  
Virgil was frozen, staring at the King.  
“How did you figure this out?”  
“He’s my brother. There’s a reason he didn’t receive the throne and I did. His mind was never in the right place.”  
Roman walked across the room, stepping onto the balcony. Virgil followed as Roman leaned on the railing.   
“Did my brother tell you the story of how we met Patton?”  
Roman looked over to the boy, who shook his head. Roman smiled, shaking his head and turning to look back out over the Kingdom.  
“When I was about 10, and Remus was 11, about the same age as Thomas now, Remus was always trying to seem better than me. He’d do anything to have our parents' attention. When I accidentally figured something out that helped stop a robbery, it caused him to go too far. He set one of the criminals in the dungeon free, telling them to kidnap him and I that night. He did, but didn’t play along to Remus’ plan.”  
“What happened?”  
Roman sighed, looking down.  
“He took us to the edge of the Kingdom, somewhere very few people lived so it was almost abandoned. He locked us in a basement, torturing us and holding us for ransom. He wanted his buddies freed from the dungeon, saying he would let us go if my parents complied.”  
“Did they?”  
“Of course they wouldn’t. And my parents didn’t let them go, either.”  
“So what happened? How did you get rescued?”  
“Well, we were left alone through most of the days, locked in the basement of that building. We’d normally be calling for help, but no one ever heard us. It was when we were giving up on hope that Patton heard us. He broke in and came down to find us. He got us out, only for the guy to return.”  
“Did you escape?”  
“Not in the slightest. We didn’t even make it out of the basement.” Roman laughed.  
Virgil frowned, “Why is that funny to you? Wouldn’t you be terrified?”  
“Oh, believe me, I was. But Patton was determined to protect us. Everyday for a week after, Patton would try and try to pick the lock on the door, to break us out. Anytime he’d try to hurt Remus or myself, Patton would take the hits.”  
“So he was sacrificing himself for you two.”  
“Yes.”  
“But how did you escape? Did Patton finally break the lock? Did someone find you?”  
Roman sighed.  
“It’s not that kind of ending, unfortunately.”  
“Oh,” Virgil sighed.  
“Almost a month after we were kidnapped, the man lost it. He figured that by now, my parents needed that little extra push.”  
“What did he do?”  
“He broke his friends out one night. Then the next morning, took Patton, Remus and I to the market center with plans on executing us in front of everyone. Mainly Remus and I to show that he wasn’t playing games anymore.”  
“Surely the guards stopped him, though.”  
Roman shook his head, looking over to Virgil.  
“Patton did.”  
Virgil was taken aback for a second. How did Patton, a simple guy like him, do such a thing.  
“Pat has some sort of protective instinct in him. When they were seconds from killing me, like, blade about to slit my throat close, something in him just went. He knocked the two holding him out before tackling the guy holding me. That’s when the guards jumped in and took the others out as well. My brother got away from that without a mark on him. Unfortunately, I didn’t get away that lucky.”  
Roman turned, lifting his chin to show a faint scar running across his neck.  
“It wasn’t deep enough to cause real damage, but it sure hurt.”  
Virgil couldn’t believe it.  
“Since then, Patton’s been a hero and a father to me, seeing how close I was to death that day and all the trauma I faced from that.”  
“And Remus?”  
“Although he was thankful to be saved, he was furious he wasn’t claimed the hero of the story. In fact, he was outraged to be punished for causing it to begin with.”  
“Serves him right.”  
Roman smiled softly, seeing his brother’s servant more calm than the night prior.  
“Do you know where Thomas is, Virgil?”  
Virgil looked over, the King speaking softly with his eyes looking out into the distance. Virgil sighed, looking down.  
“Did my brother make you take him? Hide him so he can be the hero again?”  
Virgil huffed, turning and walking back into the room. Roman frowned, watching him. Something seemed off about the boy. Every time he saw him, his outfit didn’t match that of a servant. It was something else that Roman was as familiar with, but knew. He just couldn’t remember.  
But then his eyes landed on a lump under the boy’s shirt. Roman’s eyes widened as he clued into what it was. And that’s when the outfit clicked for him. Where he knew it from.  
It was the same type as the guy Remus set free. As his friends that hurt him, and Remus, and Patton as well.   
He realized how wrong he was about Remus’ plan. He didn’t want to be the hero.  
It was worse than that.  
Remus wanted to be King.


	5. Trustable?

Virgil turned after the King went silent. That’s when he noticed the King’s eyes glued to the dagged at his side, hidden under his shirt. Virgil’s eyes went wide as the King looked up to him.  
“I don’t understand. You didn’t- You didn’t kill Thomas, did you?”  
“No. I would never. I couldn’t do that to him.”  
“You wanted me to be distracted, for the guards to be gone so you could get at me. So you could kill me.”  
Virgil was terrified. Roman figured it out. He was dead. Virgil was going to die now. He knew it.  
“You're an assassin. You were sent here to kill me.”  
Then these words struck Virgil hard.  
“My brother is trying to kill me, isn’t he? He's set this up. This meeting was him trying to take the Kingdom for himself.”  
Roman stumbled back towards the balcony. Virgil took a shaky breath, pulling the dagger out. It was now or never.  
“I never should have let him come here. I should have realized this sooner.”  
Virgil hated this. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t hurt the King after everything he was told. The duke was a villain, and he couldn’t leave the Kingdom in his hands.  
Then everything happened so quickly.  
Roman hit the balcony, and stumbled against the railing. He couldn’t catch his balance in time though, and stumbled over it. He cried out, flying over the balcony, about to fall. The door opened in time for Logan and Patton to walk in, seeing Roman falling over. They cried out to him, starting to run towards him.  
Virgil cried out, dropping his dagger on the floor and running towards the King. As the railing snapped from the weight, Roman toppled over. Virgil dove after him, off the edge of the balcony. He grabbed Roman’s arm with one hand, the edge of the balcony with his other. Roman looked down below them. They were high enough to die if they fell.  
“Roman!”  
Roman looked up, seeing Logan at the edge of the balcony, looking down at him.  
“Give me your hand!”  
“I can’t reach you!”  
“Hold on. I’ll swing you up,” Virgil called to him.  
Roman’s other hand fell to Virgil’s, holding on tightly as Virgil swung him back and forth. After a few swings, Logan was able to grab Roman’s hand, pulling him up. Once Roman was saved, Patton and Logan pulled Virgil up, the boy exhausted.  
“You- you-” Roman stuttered out.  
“What happened?” Logan asked, looking between them.  
“He tried to kill me! He was going to kill me!”  
Logan and Patton both moved away from Virgil, who looked terrified.  
“Guards!” Logan shouted.  
“No, no, please. This is a misunderstanding. I didn’t want to do this. They were making me. Please.”  
Virgil was dragged out of the room by two guards. Roman watched until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Patton looking at him.  
“Are you alright?”  
Roman nodded, his mind spinning. He didn’t know what to think anymore. Virgil seemed to be regretting being there. He seemed scared to do it. Not to mention that he just risked his life to save Roman’s when his goal was to kill him anyways.   
“Did he take Thomas? Did he tell you where Thomas is?”  
“No. But he knows.”  
“Then we’ll talk to him. The guards will keep searching for him and we will get our answers.”

Virgil was curled in the corner, terrified. He didn’t know if the King was going to have him executed or if Remus was going to kill him first. Either way, he knew he was dead at this point.  
He looked up as footsteps approached him, seeing Roman, Logan and Patton approaching him. They stopped outside his cell, looking in at them.  
“So? Care to explain. Remus told us he didn’t know about any of this. He was clueless and ashamed that his servant would even try anything like this,” Logan spoke up.  
Virgil wanted to cry. Remus convinced them that he had nothing to do with it. Virgil was alone now, there was nothing to do.  
“Just kill me already.”  
“Not until you tell us where you took Thomas.”  
Virgil looked up, seeing Patton looking hopeful at Virgil.  
“Please. I just want to know where he is,” Patton pleaded.  
“In the caverns west of the Kingdom,” Virgil said softly.  
“Don’t lie to us again, Virgil. They’ve searched there already. He’s not there.”  
“But that’s where I took him! I swear.”  
Logan shook his head, turning to Roman.  
“I don’t think he’ll tell us, your Majesty. We’ll have to guard work it out of him.”  
Logan turned with Patton following him. Roman looked at Virgil, glancing towards the other two before speaking.  
“Virgil, please. Tell me where he is.”  
Virgil remained silent, looking away.  
“I know you aren’t bad. I know you didn’t want to do it.”  
“I’m telling the truth. I left him in the western caverns. Remus must have taken him. I swear.”  
Roman sighed.  
“I hope you're right.”  
Roman turned, walking away. Roman still had faith in Virgil. Not a lot, but some. It meant that Virgil might have a chance. If he could convince the King to believe him, then he might be able to live. He might be able to get himself out of this.  
“So, you failed?”  
Virgil gulped, seeing Remus in front of the cell.  
“Tisk, tisk. And I had such hope for you.”  
“What did you do to Thomas?”  
“Oh, that brat? You think I just wanted him out of the way? You think I didn’t have a back up plan in case you failed?”  
“Where is he?”  
“Like I’ll tell you.”  
“What are you going to do to him?”  
“I don’t know. Torture him, beat him. Make him feel the pain I did when I was younger. Then bring him back to prove I am the hero. That I deserve to be the King, not my pathetic brother.”  
“You won’t get away with this.”  
“Oh, what are you going to do? Cry?”  
Remus laughed, walking away. He left Virgil alone, returning upstairs to find Roman and Logan comforting a broken Patton.  
“I’ll do whatever it takes to find Thomas. He’s clearly important, and I’m sorry he’s been dragged into this.”  
“Thanks,” Patton sniffled.


	6. Finding the Truth

Roman couldn’t sleep that night. He tossed and turned in his bed, but his thoughts kept swirling. He was questioning everything: who was telling the truth, who could he trust, where was Thomas? If Virgil was being honest and had left the boy in the caverns, then someone would have needed to take him. Thomas could be who knows where, and he was doing nothing to help the poor boy.  
Roman sat up, sliding off the bed. He slipped his slippers on and grabbed his robe off the hanger. He tied it and headed for the door.   
He needed answers. If Virgil knew something, anything, it might help to lead him to Thomas. As well as the criminal responsible for all this.  
Roman pulled open his door, looking up and down the hallway. He stepped out, silently closing the door and starting down the hallway. He never realized how ominous the castle’s halls were this late at night. Lanterns were his only source of light as he reached the stairs. He descended to the main floor before heading for the east hall. The dungeons laid below it. He walked the halls, seeing all the servants asleep in their rooms. All the people who worked under him, grateful to not live in the streets and have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs.  
Roman looked up as a door opened ahead of him. The door to the dungeon was around the corner, and none of the other doors moved. He quickly moved to the corner, pushing himself up against the wall. He peeked around, seeing a cloak disappear down the stairs as the door closed. Roman frowned. The only people who should be going down to the dungeon at these hours are the guards on patrol.  
Roman instantly knew something was wrong. Nothing about this situation was good, and despite his mind screaming at him to go back and get help, he approached the door. He pulled it open a crack, looking down the stairwell. The person was gone from sight, so Roman pulled the door open more. He stepped into the stairwell, cautious about the door behind him and ensuring it was silent as it closed. Step by step, Roman descended the stairs into the dungeon. He was on high alert, looking and listening for any voices below him. As he reached the last few steps, he paused, a voice echoing softly around him. Followed by a second. Both are familiar.  
“You failed, boy. You’ll get what’s coming to you.”  
“I never wanted to do this in the first place. I never wanted any of this.”  
“That is not your decision. It never was.”  
Roman flinched at the sound of a contact, most likely someone being hit.  
“Once your master arrives, you’ll know true pain.”  
“Master?” Roman mumbled to himself.  
Who was he talking about? Who was this “master”?  
Roman jumped as two hands landed on his back, forcing him forwards. He stumbled down the last few steps, barely able to catch himself as he found stable ground under his feet. He spun around, only to be met with a blade aimed at his neck.  
“I’d turn back around and walk if I were you.”  
Roman gulped, obeying. Roman turned back and started walking. After a few steps, he felt a tug on the back of his robe, and saw the man out of the corner of his eye, dagger still up and ready to swipe. He looked ahead of them, seeing his brother stepping out of one of the cells.   
Remus brushed his hands on his pants, then looked up from the footsteps. He frowned at the sight of his brother.  
“I didn’t doubt that the boy failed, but finding the King eavesdropping was a sight to see.”  
“Ro, Ro? Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” Remus teased.  
Roman yelped as the other man pushed him forwards, right into the cell. Roman tripped over his feet, falling face first into the ground. He moaned, pushing himself up. He rolled over, looking up as a loud thud echoed around them. Roman’s eyes widened as Remus and the other man smiled from the otherside of the cell.  
The man was clearly the one Roman saw entering the dungeon. A cloak was draped over his shoulders with the hood up and covering his eyes. A golden yellow trim lined the edges, standing out against the black material. The man sheathed the blade with the many others on a belt around his waist. Two more were strapped to his right thigh and two more on a leather strap across his chest. The man’s outfit under the cloak was all black; black top, black pants, black boots, black fingerless leather gloves. A black mask covered the lower half of his face with the hood covering the upper. Roman could only see the man’s eyes, one brown one yellow.  
“Say, if the King were to, say, vanish, who would take the throne in his absence.”  
“Why, I think it would be me. Would it not?”  
The two started laughing as reality sunk in for Roman. A noise behind Roman made him aware he wasn’t alone. He turned, coming face to face with the boy he’d come to see.  
“You shouldn’t have come here. They’ll get what they want now. The Kingdom’s doomed.”  
The terror on Virgil’s face said it all. He was just a pawn in this game, a piece that was set to fail for others to thrive. He was disposable.   
But Roman didn’t know what they would do with him now.  
“Help me get them to the carriage, and I’ll handle it from there. They’ll never find any of them again. And we can stage it to look like it’s little V doing it all.”  
“You won’t get away with this. The guards won’t let you just walk out of here that easily.”  
“I’d like to think otherwise. Especially seeing how you were the only one to notice me coming in anyways.”  
Roman tried to keep the brave facade, but he was faltering. Whoever this was, he was right. He did get in unnoticed, and would surely know how to get them out unnoticed as well. Roman looked back at Virgil behind him, who was sinking back deeper into the darkness of the cell. Roman looked back as the door to the cell opened.   
“Now, how about I show you how to properly knock someone out, V?”  
Roman pushed himself back, trying to keep distance between him and the cloaked man. Terror ran through him as the man closed the distance. Roman felt his back hit the cold wall as the man reached him. A cloth with a darker patch on it. As the man brought it towards Roman, the royal’s arms shot out, pushing the man away.  
“Remus, can you restrain him? I could, but I don’t want him to see me yet.”  
Within seconds, Remus was at their sides. He grabbed Roman’s arms and forced them down to his sides. Roman barely got a sound out before the cloth was over his mouth. The man tied it behind his head as Roman began to feel lightheaded. As Remus let go, Roman attempted to bring his hands to the cloth in hopes of pulling it away. The man grabbed his arms, holding them away from him. Roman squirmed and fought against him, trying to escape. He could tell the man was getting frustrated, and he hoped it would give him an opening.  
It didn’t. It ended with a swift punch to the side of the head. Roman groaned as the sudden impact knocked him over onto his side. He attempted to push himself up, his head spinning as his vision blurred. Then he fell forwards as his arms were pulled out from under him. He couldn’t focus anymore with his mind spinning as his arms were tied behind his back. He felt himself losing the fight to stay conscious, his world slowly going dark.  
The last words he heard were from the man.  
“Your turn, V.”  
Virgil had watched the whole thing from the corner, where he was trying to not break down in a panic attack. He couldn’t move as they approached him. Didn’t resist as they tied a cloth over his mouth like they did to Roman. Didn’t struggle as he was forced onto his stomach. Hardly moved as they tied his hands together behind his back.  
Didn’t fight as unconsciousness took over him.


	7. Missing

Dawn rose as the people of the Kingdom began to rise, taking in their normal routines for the morning. The market was bustling, children were in the streets, laughing and playing. Everything seemed normal.  
But it was in no way a good, or a normal day.  
Chaos ran through the castle as the guards found the King’s room empty. Panic ensued as the King was nowhere to be found. Searches of the Kingdom were ordered, hoping the King slipped out in the night for a stroll with the events of the prior day. All whilst trying to keep the Kingdom oblivious to the situation.  
Logan was pacing the main room, up and down the grand hall. Remus leaned against the wall at the base of the stairs while Patton sat on the steps, head resting against the railing.  
“This is not like him. He always informs someone when he leaves, and normally will take at least one guard with him.”  
“I’m sure he’s fine. Maybe he was sleepwalking or something,” Patton suggested.  
“The King does not sleepwalk, Patton. Just the idea of you bringing that up is unbelievable.”  
“Well, sorry for trying to lighten the mood.”  
Logan sighed, stopping in the middle of the hall. He looked over at Patton.  
“I’m sorry for snapping, Patton. I’m just-”  
Logan stopped, trying to form the sentence with his racing mind.  
“You're stressed and overwhelmed, like everyone else here. I get that. It’s never a good thing when the King vanishes.”  
Logan nodded, looking up as the doors opened. The Head guard stepped in, looking down at the ground.  
“Any news?”  
The guard shook his head.  
“We’ve searched every area twice, checking buildings, alleys, everything. There are no sightings of the King anywhere.”  
Logan groaned, running his hands through his hair.  
“When shall we sound the alarm, Sir Logan. You make the calls until we either find Roman or another suitable for the throne.”  
Logan did not approve of the sudden pressure on him to make calls for the Kingdom. He already had enough work as the adviser, but now playing the King’s role was pushing on overload.  
“If I may step in.”  
Logan turned as Remus walked up to them.  
“I’d suggest changing the teams up, sending them to new zones, and running one final search. If that comes up empty handed, then the alarm will sound. Also run one final search of the castle. Check every floor, every room. Don’t skip anything.”  
The guard turned, looking for Logan’s approval. Once the adviser nodded, the guard turned and ran out the room to relay the orders. Logan turned to Remus, a thankful expression on his face.  
“I could see you weren’t handling that well. It’s a lot to handle, and I figured I could at least help.”  
“Thank you.”  
Remus simply nodded.  
“You could take the throne.”  
Patton jumped to his feet at Logan’s idea.  
“I could, but only if they can’t find my brother.”  
“Of course, if they find him, he’ll resume his rule. Otherwise, we need a King, and you were royal like him. You’re his brother after all.”  
“Lo, I don’t-”  
Patton’s voice went unheard as remus spoke.  
“It’s agreed then, I’ll take the throne if Roman is not found. It’s the least I could do to help him.”  
Logan smiled. Patton had a sinking feeling in his gut. He didn’t like Remus, not after the childhood incident. Something Roman refused to tell Logan about.  
All Pat could do was hope that Remus had changed like he’d convinced everyone he had.  
Patton bit his lip as Remus walked off and Logan looked to him.  
“What were you about to say, Patton?”  
Patton looked away.  
“It’s nothing. I’ve got something to attend to.”  
Patton turned and ran up the stairs without another word. He was worried about where this would lead if his suspicions were right and Remus hadn’t changed.   
He didn’t want to find out, but it wasn’t like there was a choice.

Roman groaned, his head pounded as he opened his eyes. He stared blankly at the ceiling for a few minutes as his vision focused. He didn’t know where he was, but he was worried that it wasn’t good. He wasn’t anywhere in the Kingdom that he knew of, which meant he was either somewhere new, or not in the Kingdom.  
“Ro?”  
Roman heard the soft voice of a child. That’s when he realized he wasn’t alone anymore. He forced himself to sit up through the spinning and pounding in his head. He looked around before noticing the small boy curled in the corner. Then his heart shattered.  
With a closer look, Roman noticed the bruises, scraps and cuts covering the boy’s body. The boy sunk further into the corner, trying to make himself seem small.  
“Thomas?”  
The boy lifted his head, and it was indeed Thomas. Roman opened his arms and the young boy crawled over to him. Roman ran his fingers through the trembling boys hair, wondering who was sick enough to hurt the poor child. The boy was terrified.  
Roman tried to whisper soothing words to the boy, trying to calm him down. The boy clung tightly to the King’s top, as though if he let go, Roman would disappear and he’d be alone.  
A door opened, causing Thomas to burst into tears. Roman looked up as two people entered the room, one more familiar than the other.  
“Virgil?”  
Roman felt his heart shatter. Was the boy just putting up and acting in the dungeon? Was he really with them this whole time? Was he just playing the victim? Or was he being forced to do this too? Was there something forcing him to obey this man?  
“Bring him with us. Leave the kid.”  
Virgil stepped towards the two, and Thomas whimpered.  
“It’ll be alright, kiddo. I’ll be back soon.”  
Thomas looked up at Roman as the King felt a hand grab his arm. Thomas curled up as Roman was pulled away from him. He sunk back into his corner, trembling. Roman glanced at Virgil, hoping to see regret in his eyes.   
But there wasn’t. There was no regret. No sorrow. No fear, or pain, or anything. His eyes were void of any emotions.  
It was like Virgil wasn’t even present at that moment.  
The door shut behind them as they walked down a dim hallway. Roman kept his head down, while keeping aware of his surroundings. The moment he saw an escape route, he’d mentally start mapping and planning on getting out of there. He wouldn’t run now, though. He wouldn’t abandon Thomas here.  
Roman stumbled as he was shoved into another room. He spun around as Virgil shoved him onto the ground. Roman looked up as Virgil towered over him.  
“Make sure he’s ready by the time I return. Don’t hurt him too badly.”  
Virgil didn’t move as the door closed and the man walked away. Roman pushed himself away from Virgil, terror running through him as he shuffled across the floor. His eyes remained on the boy in the room, who stood stalk still, eyes locked on him. A slow movement as he moved his head to look over his shoulder as a door slammed shut in the distance.  
Then he changed. Virgil’s body relaxed as he ran to Roman, a worried look on his face.  
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”  
“V?”  
Roman was very confused, as the boy who was clearly part of the enemy team was just as scared as he was. It didn’t make sense.  
“I don’t want to do any of this. They force me to.”  
“You don’t have to obey him, Virgil. You can help me, help Thomas, you can be a good guy.”  
“No, that’ll only make things worse. I can’t knowingly turn on him. He’ll hurt you, he’ll hurt Thomas. I can’t do that to you guys.”  
Roman sighed. He looked up, seeing the genuine fear in the boy’s eyes. This was the boy's actual personality. He was a good kid stuck in a bad situation.  
Virgil panicked more as a door opened in the distance.  
“He’s coming back. I’m sorry about this.”  
Suddenly, the boy punched Roman hard across the face. Roman brought his hand up, not only feeling the pain, but feeling hurt and betrayed. This boy was back and forth between a good guy and a bad guy. The boy pulled the King’s arms to his sides, chaining them in place. Roman watched him stand up, taking a step back as the other man walked in.  
“What do you want from me?”  
Roman tried to keep his voice steady, but was sure they both heard the shakiness in his voice.  
“Well, you see, your majesty. I had a client come to me, saying that he wanted to take over the Kingdom, but he needed a certain royal out of the way.”  
Roman thought about it for a second, then clued in.  
“You mean my brother?”  
The man chuckled, “you catch on fast, don’t you?”  
Roman couldn’t believe that his brother hadn’t changed all along. Remus had been nice towards them, even with the odd moment. At the same time, Roman was kicking himself for not picking up on anything sooner.  
“So now that you’re out of the way, I have to ensure you don’t interfere so Remus can rule for now.”  
“What does that mean?”  
Roman could see the confusion hidden on Virgil’s face as well. Clearly, there was something else going on that neither of them knew.  
“Well, the assassin business can only go so far, you know. We all have competition and one foolish choice for a client can ruin one’s reputation in the business.”  
The man cast a glare at Virgil, who looked away.  
“So, it was only a matter of time when the Duke came to me, wanting to have you taken out, before I had a plan. It would be too easy to gain that foolish man’s trust. He’d think we were on the same team so easily, and I’ll let him stay on the throne for the time being. Once everything else is set up, he’ll go down hard, and I’ll be sure to rise above him and take over permanently.”  
“No.”  
“Oh, yes, little boy. And with the pathetic servants kid in my possession, I think little Patton will cave just as easily.”  
“If you so much as lay another finger on him, I’ll-”  
“You’ll what? You’ll be lucky to see that kid again. Or anyone ever again, boy. This place is a labyrinth, a maze that no one other than the assassins knows how to maneuver. Add onto the fact that every assassin knows you here, that you are free range to them. If they so much as catch a glimpse of you, you’ll be killed on the spot. You’ll never escape, boy. There isn’t hope for you anymore. Just give up.”  
Roman, looked down, reality setting in. The man smiled, turning to Virgil.   
“I’ll allow you first dibs, boy. Don’t make me regret this.”  
The man placed a dagger in Virgil’s hand then turned to leave. Virgil’s eyes were glued to the weapon. One that he’d handled countless times, driven into people without mercy because he was instructed to. A weapon that, with his training, would and could be lethal.  
“V?”  
Virgil looked up as footsteps echoed from existence in the hallway. Roman was looking at him, eyes flickering to the blade in his hands.  
“So, you really are one of them. I should have known.”  
“I never wanted to. I had no choice.”  
“Sure you didn’t.”  
Virgil’s hand wrapped around the handle as he dropped his arm to his side. He let out a shaky sigh, looking to Roman.  
“I was sold to him, Roman. I was sold to Dee because my parents couldn’t pay their debt and it was that or death. I was forced to do all of this. I’ve killed people, innocent people who have done nothing against me for a few coins.”  
Roman looked up as Virgil’s voice shook. That’s when he saw the tears in the boys eyes.   
“I hated every minute of it, but whenever I would come back unsuccessful, I would be punished. Beaten, whipped, burned, everything and anything they felt I was worthy of. I was too afraid to betray him again, afraid of the punishments that would ensue.”  
Virgil stepped towards Roman, and the King looked away, closing his eyes. He expected a punch, a hit, the blade to his skin.  
All he heard was the clatter of metal to the floor and a soft thump.  
“I can’t do it.”  
Roman cautiously looked up, seeing Virgil on his knees before him. Virgil looked up at him, before looking down at his own arms. He carefully pulled off his gloves, then rolled up his sleeves. Roman’s froze at the slight.  
The boys arms were covered in scars and marks from all sorts of weapons. Blades, whips, irons, and far worse than Roman dared to think of. Roman looked up as Virgil trembled.  
“It all hurts, and I can’t bring the pain I feel onto anyone else. Not when I was so young when it started.”  
“How-”  
Roman choked, unsure if he wanted an answer.  
“How old were you?”  
“I wasn’t much more than 5 when I was sold off. No more than 8 when they forced me to kill for the first time. There were many times before that I failed, and many times after that I was punished harshly for.”  
Roman sunk back, unable to imagine the pain Virgil suffered through.  
“I’m afraid that if I do nothing now, Thomas will suffer the same fate.”  
That broke Roman. The sweet, innocent boy becoming an assassin. Forced to kill, punished for failure.  
“Please, get him out of here. You can’t let them hurt him.”  
“Dee refuses to leave him alone. That boy is the key to his plan somehow. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I don’t know how I’d get him away from Dee.”  
Roman thought for a second, then an idea hit him. He looked up at Virgil and sighed.  
“I know what to do, but it’s not going to end well.”


	8. A Chaotic Kingdom

Patton saw it all coming when they gave up the search. He knew everything that would follow the Duke’s crowning as King. He knew the chaos that would bring the Kingdom to shambles. The endless crying and fear of the people within the Kingdom that would now become the norm. The unnecessary deaths that would be brought with it all.  
He just wished someone, anyone, would have listened to him.  
It had only been a few days since Remus was crowned King, and after the first day, nothing was the same. Remus created strict rules that had even stricter and worse punishments. Several people didn’t believe him and fell to their punishments. The remainder of the Kingdom lives in fear of one wrong move ending their existence completely.  
Patton was now forced to work, unlike with Roman where he was free to roam as long as there was order. Patton became Remus’ personal servant, or as Patton now saw it, his slave. He’d be forced to retrieve anything from anywhere for the King, ensure that punishments were delivered. Normally, he’d be told to overwatch the whole thing. He could never handle the screaming and crying, begging for the pain to end. He’d bandage the survivors, but he couldn’t handle anything else. It was too much.  
At the same time, he was still missing his son. He didn’t know where Thomas was, or if he was even alive anymore. What fate had his poor boy suffered? Would he ever see him again?  
All Patton wanted to do was hug his boy and have everything go back to normal.  
But that would never happen.  
Night came upon the Kingdom, and Patton was standing at the King’s side as Remus sat on his throne. Patton kept his gaze down, eyes on the floor.  
“Patton, I’m feeling a bit peckish. Fetch me a snack.”  
Patton nodded, quickly running off at the order. He ran down the hall and as he opened the kitchen door, he ran right into someone. He fell back onto the floor, looking up.  
“Patton? What’s the rush?”  
“The King wanted a snack.”  
Patton pushed past him and into the kitchen. He searched for something he thought would be suitable enough. He just hoped he would guess right.  
“You know, it’s nice that your finally being put in your place. No more formal treatment, just a normal servant like everyone else.”  
Patton bit his lip. He held back his anger, wanting to lash at him. Tell him just how wrong he was.  
“I mean, you were practically a royal guest instead of a servant. You never did any work other than watch the kid and oversee the odd thing. I wouldn’t even call that a servant's job.”  
“Logan! Enough!”  
Logan turned, taken back before frowning at Patton.  
“Excuse me.”  
“I said enough. I wasn’t brought here to be some measly servant for the King. I was brought here after saving the Princes when they were little. I was brought here to help raise them, guide them down the correct paths. I helped Roman get to be King, made sure Remus was never crowned because I could see what was going to happen. I could see that Remus ruling would only bring darkness and pain for the Kingdom. People are suffering now, and you are too blind to see any of it!”  
Patton grabbed the tray from the counter, now with a few snacks for the King and ran out of the room. Logan stood in shock. He was still processing everything that was just said to him.   
Patton stepped into the throne room, bringing the tray to Remus. Remus looked at the tray before tisking at it, waving it away.  
“This is peasant food. How dare you bring this to me.”  
“I’m sorry, that's all I could find. The cooks were receiving the delivery and I-”  
“Did I ask for an excuse? Go bring me something real! Move it!”  
Patton turned, running off again. He could feel the tears building in his eyes. He was trying his hardest, but it was never enough.  
He stepped into the kitchen again, one of the chefs inside as more helped bring the delivery in.  
“The King is hungry and requesting a snack. I tried to find something, but he wanted something more.”  
The chef nodded, taking the tray from the shaking servant. Patton fell back against the wall, wiping the tears from his eyes and taking a deep breath. He needed to get himself back under control before returning to the King.  
Patton jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked over as Logan took his arm, pulling him into the hallway. Patton became frightened, thinking his outburst was about to get him punished.  
“I’m sorry.”  
Now Patton was confused.  
“I know this isn’t right. Everyone was less stressed with Roman on the throne, and despite his childish antics, he was a better ruler.”  
“Lo, I-”  
Logan shoved a small satchel into Patton’s hands, a small smile on the adviser’s face.  
“I think the King can go without his snack, don’t you?”  
Patton looked from the satchel to Logan.  
“The guards were forced to give up the hunt for the King after Remus was crowned. But I have a friend who told me that Roman is alive. I’m sure he can tell us where he is. If we can bring him back, everything can return to the way it was.”  
“How do we get out, though? Remus has the Palace under strict surveillance.”  
“Your forgetting I set up the schedule. Come on.”  
Patton pulled the satchel over his shoulder and ran after Logan. They ran through the Palace, pausing at corners to check that the halls were clear. They managed to avoid detection to the exit. They paused just around the corner, watching the guards at the door.  
“They’re still here. What do we do?”  
“Just wait.”  
Patton looked to Logan before movement caught his eye. He turned back as the guards started walking from the posts.  
“Bingo, let’s go.”  
Patton quickly followed, not missing a beat as they ran for the door.  
“Stop! Come back here!”  
“Logan, they’re coming after us!” Patton cried.  
Logan glanced behind them, seeing three guards chasing them through the streets.  
“Patton, get out of the Kingdom then head east. Keep going through the night and you should make it to the village by sun high. Tell them you're looking for Sleep, but you can’t rest. Tell him I sent you.”  
Logan stopped, and Patton made it a few steps before looking back at Logan.  
“Lo, what are you doing?”  
“Just go, Patton! Hurry! I’ll be fine!”  
Patton turned and ran down the street. He glanced back, only to see Logan being tackled to the ground and pinned down. Another guard started after Patton, but the man was well ahead of them. Patton reached the Kingdom border, looking up at the massive wall. Without a second thought, he grabbed the vines covering the wall and began to climb. He pulled himself higher bit by bit, watching the top get closer with each movement. Relief washed over him as his hand grabbed the ledge of the wall. He pulled himself up onto the wall, the walkway for the guards now under his feet.  
“Hey you!”  
Patton looked to his right, seeing a guard several feet from him. They charged at him. Another ran at him from the left, swords drawn. Patton glanced back, seeing Logan being hauled to his feet with his hands chained together. Then he jumped down from the wall and into the unknown.  
Logan sighed in relief, knowing that Patton made it out. He had faith that the man would complete the mission and get to Sleep. He knew his friend would help Patton find the King and bring him home again.  
Logan focused on his surroundings as another guard approached them.  
“He escaped over the Kingdom wall and into the forest. It’s hopeless to follow him now.”  
“What of this one?”  
“Take him to the King and allow him to choose his fate.”  
Logan stood tall as he was turned and they began their trek to the Palace. Logan felt his heart racing, but he hid his fears. He was prepared for what was coming, he was bracing himself for Remus’ realization.  
But he’d never be able to find Patton, or stop their plan.  
The grand doors to the Throne room opened as Logan stepped inside, the guards still holding his arms.  
“So, you decided to go against me now, didn’t you.”  
Remus stepped off his throne, looking down at Logan. The adviser stood with his head high, not willing to show weakness.   
“And now that servant is off somewhere.”  
Logan stood still and Remus circled around him.  
“Knowing you, there was some purpose behind your little betrayal. You were up to something, it’s just a matter of figuring out what.”  
Remus stopped in front of Logan, looking at him.  
“So, do you want to talk, or will we have to do this another way.”  
Logan just stared at Remus without saying a word.  
“Playing difficult. Alright, I have other ways to get you to talk.”  
“Even if I tell you where he’s going, you’ll never find him.”  
“He said something about finding Sleep, your majesty,” one of the guards spoke up.  
Remus smirked at Logan, stepping towards him.  
“So, you speak of one of the three lost sorcerers. You know of Sleep, but do you know the other two.”  
Logan didn’t say a word.  
“Speak. Now!”  
Logan just looked at Remus, holding strong. Remus huffed, clearly getting annoyed with his lack of answers.  
“Take him and lock him up. Don’t touch him. I want to deal with him on my own.”  
Logan felt a pull as he was dragged back and lead out of the room. He was safe for now, but he knew that once Remus found out, he was done for.


	9. Three Lost Sorcerers

Patton was relieved when Logan was dead on with the timing. He walked east from the Kingdom and by sun high the next morning, there was a village on the horizon. Patton wanted desperately to run to it, but by that point, he didn’t have the energy.  
He stepped into the village, his legs wobbling as if they wanted to give out. He leaned against the wall of the nearest house, looking up at the sky. He was becoming exhausted.  
“Sir, are you alright? Can I get you something to drink?”  
Patton looked over to see a younger woman looking at him. Patton pushed himself off the wall, stumbling a bit.  
“I drink would be nice.”  
“Come in then. You should probably get out of the sun.”  
Patton nodded. He walked after the woman a few houses down the street before she opened her door. She let Patton inside before closing the door behind them. He looked around the small house, a kitchen and dining area taking up the majority of the space with a small bed and bathroom in the back of the house.  
“Take a seat, please.”  
Patton nodded, finding a place at the table. The lady filled a glass with water and passed it to him.  
“So, what’s someone like you doing out here? We don’t get many visitors, at least, not of your kind.”  
Patton took a sip of the water and frowned.  
“What do you mean by that?”  
He set the glass on the table, confused and unsure if he should be offended.  
“Not to be rude, but the royal family doesn’t venture here often.”  
The lady motioned to Pattons bag, and he notices the Royal emblem on the bag. That explains a lot.  
“Unless you stole that and you're a thief.”  
“No, I promise I’m no thief.”  
The lady smiled, waiting for him to continue.  
“I’m Patton, Royal Assistant and Head Servant in the castle. Or, at least I was.”  
Patton looked away, sighing.  
“The Kingdom’s fallen to chaos. King Roman was kidnapped and now his brother, Remus, has taken the throne. It’s only a matter of time until the entire land falls into darkness under his rule.”  
“I’m so sorry. I wish I could help, but we are no more than a farming village. We carry no weapons or armour as to aid you.”  
“It’s alright.”  
Patton was grateful that the village would be willing to aid him, but they couldn’t do anything.  
His mission from Logan.  
“Oh, um, this is awkward. I am, uh, here to find someone.”  
“Oh, who might that be?”  
“Shoot, what did Lo say? Um…”  
Patton had to think. It was several hours ago, and it was in the chaos of escaping that Logan told him what to say. He had to remember what to say.  
“I think it was something like, I’m looking for Sleep but I must not rest.”  
He looked up, the lady stunned. Her expression changed and she glanced around the room. Her voice was low and quiet as she spoke.  
“Your luck I found you, sir. Very few know of him being here. How did you know?”  
“My friend told me, they were friends I think. I don’t entirely know.”  
“Come. Say nothing to anyone.”  
The lady quickly stood and moved for the door. Patton was nervous and doubtful, but followed her. They walked deeper into the small village, before heading south, into the outskirts. Patton looked around, seeing people going about their business like normal. It was so peaceful here, unlike at his home. He wished it could be like this again.  
“Repeat that line inside, and he’ll help you,” the lady whispered.  
Patton looked up to see an Inn, small but cozy. He turned to see the lady had walked away and was gone from his sight. He had a bad feeling about all this, but Logan sent him here. He trusted Logan, he had to for the Kingdom.  
Patton pushed the door, stepping inside. A small bell rang above the door, grabbing the attention of the Innkeeper. The Innkeeper turned to him as Patton approached his desk.  
“Welcome, sir. We have plenty of rooms open, would you like a regular size, double, suite?”  
Patton remembered how the lady reacted when he spoke the first time. He decided to keep his voice down, unsure if anyone was listening.  
“I’m looking for Sleep, but I must not rest.”  
The Innkeeper nodded, looking below the counter.  
“I see, I see. I have a special room around back that would interest you. Come with me.”  
The Innkeeper invited Patton behind the desk and led him into the back room. He glanced around the lobby before closing the door. Patton couldn’t understand why they were being so secretive. Was this who he was looking for?  
“Very few know of him. You're lucky, and you best hope that he’ll help you.”  
The Innkeeper walked upto the brick wall along the back of the room. He pushed one of the bricks in, and a section of the wall opened to a dim staircase. The Innkeeper looked to Patton.  
“Best of luck to you, Sir.”  
Patton nodded, looking down the staircase. He stepped into the stairwell, and the hidden door closed behind him.  
“Well, here goes nothing,” Patton mumbled.  
Patton walked down the stairs, each step echoing off the stone walls. As he reached the base, it opened into a room with stone walls and floor, a carpet lining the middle. Shelves of books and bottles with some fancy mixture lined the walls with two doors against the far wall.  
“Hello? Is anyone here?”  
Patton looked around, hoping to spot someone. He saw no one. Surely there was someone here, they wouldn’t just send him into an empty room, would they?  
Patton wandered the room, looking around. He paused at the bookshelf, looking at it. The amount of books was normally what he would see, but the context was odd. Witchcraft, sorcery, potion making. They were all books of spells and potions, things of sorcery.  
“What the heck is this?”  
Patton reached to take a book off the shelf.  
“I’d rather you leave my things alone, thank you very much.”  
Patton spun around, seeing a man looking at him. The man had dark brown hair brushed to the side. His almost white top was covered by a black jacket, with matching pants and boots. A black bandana covered his eyes, but he could clearly still see.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where anyone was, or if I was alone.”  
“Why are you here? I was not expecting some mortal today.”  
The man fell into a chair, bringing his hand up to check his nails as he leaned back.  
“My friend sent me here from the Kingdom. Logan was supposed to come, but they caught him.”  
The man quickly sat up, looking at Patton.  
“What did you say?”  
“I was sent here-”  
“Who sent you?”  
“The royal advisor, Logan.”  
“He was captured?”  
Patton was confused by the sudden change in the man at the mention of Logan. He didn’t understand what was going on, or how this man knew Logan.  
“Is everything alright?” Patton asked.  
“Other than Specs endangering himself, as well as the rest of us.”  
The man stood, moving towards Patton. He looked up and down the bookshelf, searching for something as he spoke.  
“Who?”  
“Specs, or as you know him, Logan, is a close friend of mine, as well as Spirits.”  
“Who?”  
“Nevermind. All you need to know is that I’ll help you save him.”  
“Wait, but that’s not why I’m here.”  
The man turned to Patton, frowning.  
“Excuse me? What?”  
“Logan said you could find Roman. We need Roman to come back so he can resume the throne. Once everyone is safe, Logan will be freed.”  
The man glared at Patton, before turning and walking away from him.  
“I did not agree to work with some mortal. I was told Specs would be here to work with me, not you. I do not work with mortals, boy.”  
Patton was growing irritated.  
“All I want to do is find Roman. I want to restore peace to the Kingdom before there is nothing to save.”  
The man didn’t speak, walking off. He opened one of the other doors across the room.  
“If you wish to save someone, you're talking to the wrong person, bud.”  
Patton is now fuming.   
“I have travelled here, fearing my life and for Logans, unsure of where I was going. I broke so many rules escaping the Kingdom, and if I so much as set foot in there again, I’ll be dead. I don’t even know if Lo is alive anymore. I don’t know if Roman is alive, or where he is. Or my son. And after everything I’ve risked to help the Kingdom, the amount of times I’ve almost lost my life for the people living there, for the King, you refuse to help me because I’m not like you. I’m just a mortal, and normal human. Well, clearly, Lo was wrong. You don’t want to help save the Kingdom.”  
Patton turned, ready to storm out.   
“So, your him?”  
Patton turned, seeing the man back in the doorway, looking towards him. The man leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest.  
“Who?”  
“Patton, the big hero that risked everything when the little Princes were kidnapped years ago. The Patton who has been living in the Palace for years afterwards.”  
“That’s me.”  
The man chuckled, moving over to Patton.  
“Forget the past conversation, I’ll help.”  
“What? But you said-”  
“I asked Specs, or, Logan I guess, about you. He did send you.”  
“Wait, what?”  
“Come, take a seat. I’ll explain everything.”  
The man turned, moving towards the two seats in the room. Patton didn’t budge as he stared bewildered.  
“Hold on. You're going to refuse to help me, and then suddenly change your mind?”  
“I said I’ll explain if you’ll just sit.”  
The man motioned to a chair next to him, before sitting in the other. Patton sighed, walking over and taking a seat. He looked to the man, seeing him lost in his thoughts.  
“Have you heard of the Three Lost Sorcerers?”  
“Yeah, I would tell my son the stories of them from the Legend.”  
The man chuckled softly, “not a legend. All true.”  
Patton looked to him as the man pulled off his bandana. He looked over at Patton, and the Pat’s eyes went wide. The man’s eyes shimmered a bright gold, shining like the sun.  
“The Three Lost Sorcerers, known by the names Sleep, Specs and Spirit. Of course, those aren’t the given names, and hardly anyone other than the sorcerers know our true names, or at least the link between them.”  
He looked over at Patton, who seemed fascinated by everything.  
“In time, you’ll be able to meet Spirit, we’ll need his help with Specs M.I.A.”  
“Specs? Is that Logan?”  
“I see your catching on. Yes, Logan is Specs.”  
“How? He was always all work and no play. How can he be a sorcerer?”  
“He’s the oldest, he was always like that. When Spirit and I tried to get him to loosen up and have some fun, he wouldn’t take any of it. We all had our differences, and that’s why we all went our separate ways. We all found different areas to settle and live a semi-normal life. Specs, or Logan, wandered for years before settling with a role in the Palace. I settled here, in a little village where no one would bother me, or at least, almost no one.”  
“And Spirit?”  
“A forest a day travels from here. He built a little cabin for himself and has set up there. With the natural magic around the area, no one has detected him yet.”  
Patton nodded.  
“You should rest. Take the rest of the day to relax for a bit, maybe nap. I would like to hear more about yourself at some point. We’ll leave for the forest to find Spirit come tomorrow morning.”  
Patton nodded, leaning back in the chair. Sleep tied his bandana back around his head, getting to his feet.  
“I’ll go up and get us something for lunch. You must be starved from your journey.”  
“Thanks, Sleep.”  
“Please, just call me Remy.”  
“Alright, Remy.”  
“Ugh, still sounds weird. How does Specs do it? Maybe stick to Sleep.”  
“Whatever you want, doesn’t matter.”  
Sleep rolled his eyes under his mask, and started up the stairs. A voice appeared in his head again.  
‘Is he alright? Did he make it in one piece?”  
‘Yes, Specs. Patton is fine. We’ll set out for Spirit come morning, and we’ll have Roman back to the Kingdom by the end of the week.’  
‘Sounds great.’  
‘How are you holding up? Patton told me what happened.’  
‘I’ll be fine, been through far worse. See you soon, Sleep.’  
‘You too, Specs.’  
The voice disappeared, and Sleep sighed. Communicating like that only worked for so long. Soon, he and the others would have to reunite to strengthen the bond again.  
He just hoped it would be before communication would be cut.


	10. Learning More

Sleep walked down the steps, a tray with food from the tavern attached to the Inn in his hands. He reached the base of the steps, then paused, smiling. He saw Patton, curled up in the chair and fast asleep. He quietly walked over and set the tray on the small table between the two chairs, letting Patton rest.  
He turned back and wandered to his bookshelf. He looked up and down and pulled one of the books off. He flipped it open, skimming the pages. He stopped closer to the end, nodding his head as he read through the page. He folded the page in, turning and wandering to the left door. He pushed it open, closing it behind him but leaving a crack so he could hear if the sleeping man woke. He set the book on the stand in the middle of the room and began looking around. He was gathering the supplies listed in the book, finding everything he needed. The herbs, liquids, and other items of all sorts. He started tossing them into a pot, measuring certain ones out while freely throwing others in.   
He mumbled a spell, waving his hand as a fire came to life underneath the pot. He smiled, looking into the pot and everything began to swirl together. He turned away after a moment, moving towards the far corner of the room. He began looking across the shelfs covered in different crystals. He picked a transparent one, looking at it for a moment before nodding. He turned back and yelped, fumbling as he almost dropped the crystal.  
“Sorry, I got curious.”  
Sleep moaned, seeing Patton backing towards the door.   
“I mean, you totally aren’t in someone’s house. I’m in the middle of something. I’ll be done in a few minutes. You can eat the food I brought back for you, I’ll be out in a minute.”  
Patton nodded, turning and disappearing out of the room. Sleep sighed, shaking his head, he looked as the pot swirled into one solid colour. He dropped the crystal inside before turning and walking out of the room to let the magic do its thing.  
He stepped out to see Patton nibbling on the food he’d brought in.  
“So, since we’ll be working together, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”  
Patton looked up, pausing with a carrot inches from his mouth. He shrugged, taking a bite.  
“I don’t know, what do you want to know?”  
“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t get many guests here. At least, not ones who stay this long.”  
Sleep moved over to the other chair, taking a seat next to Patton. He crossed his left leg over his right, resting his hands on his knees.  
“How about you tell me about the Palace life before all this started? The King, your work, maybe a bit about how you know Specs?”  
Patton shrugged, thinking for a moment.  
“I mean, the most work I did was oversee the servants of the castle, make sure everything was dealt with and stuff. Other than that, I was-”  
Patton choked, remembering his son. Sleep sat up, seeing the man’s attitude change drastically.  
“You were what?”  
“My son. They took my son with the King. I don’t even know if he’s alive at this point.”  
Patton turned as Sleep stood, moving towards the back room. He paused in the doorway, turning back to Patton.  
“Come.”  
Patton was quick to his feet, following Sleep into the back room. He stopped just inside the doorway and Sleep moved around the room, looking at the things on the shelves and in the drawers. He took a pale pink crystal off his shelf. He turned and started going through one of the drawers. He smiled and pulled out an orange stone. He Turned and walked over to Patton  
“Hold out your hands.”  
Patton nodded. He held out his hands, palms up. Sleep set the crystal in Patton’s left hand, closing his fingers around it.  
“This stone is Amber, and it will help with communication.”  
“Communication?”  
Patton looked confused as the amber stone was set in his right and his fingers wrapping tightly around it.  
“What’s your son’s name?”  
Sleep reached up, untying in bandana and letting it drop to the floor.  
“Thomas.”  
“And how old is he?”  
“10.”  
Sleep nodded, placing his hands over Patton’s.  
“I need you to close your eyes and try to picture your son for me.”  
Patton nodded, doing just that. Patton focused, creating an image of his son in his mind. The boy who had just up and vanished from his bed that night without a word. Then, golden spots began appearing in his mind, slowing changing colour and forming an image. As the image became more focused, patton realized it was Thomas, locked in a room, with another man. The other man was much older, dressed in all black. His body was covered in many different weapons, daggers, knives, and many more. A mask covered his face, but his eyes stood out. Bright, golden yellow.  
But not like Sleep’s.  
A sharp gasp came from Sleep as Patton felt the sorcerer pull his hands away. Sleep’s eyes glowed brightly in the dark room as he stared at the floor.  
“Sleep?”  
Patton was concerned when there was no response. He waited a moment, then Sleep’s eyes died away and he began looking around.  
“We need to go. It’s not safe here.”  
“What do you mean? I thought no one knew you were here.”  
“I thought it was true, but it’s not.”  
Sleep grabbed a bag off the floor, moving around the room and grabbing as much as he could and shoving it all in the bag. He paused, looking at the pot in the middle of the room. He took a deep breath then plunged his hand inside and pulled out the crystal.  
“It’s not complete, but should have enough energy incase of an emergency,” he mumbled, dropping it in his bag.  
He turned to Patton and made for the door.  
“Grab that satchel you came with. We need to go.”  
Patton nodded, running out of the room. He grabbed his bag next to the chair, he turned as Sleep paused halfway to the stairs.  
“No, no, no. They can’t be here.”  
Sleep spun around, looking around the room.  
“What’s going on? I don’t understand?”  
Sleep grabbed Patton’s hand and pulled him over to one of the bookshelves. Sleep released his hand, pulling two of the books back with a click. The bookshelf shifted and Sleep pushed it to the right, revealing a hidden stairwell.  
“Hey! There’s a door and stairs over here! Come on!”  
Patton then realized the situation. Someone had followed him. They were coming for him.  
“Come on, we need to go,” Sleep said in a low tone.  
Sleep pushed Patton into the stairwell, following and pushing in a brick in the passage. The bookshelf slid back into place, and the passage went dark. Patton tensed, unable to see. Then he felt a hand on his wrist, panicking until Sleep spoke.  
“Just relax and follow me.”  
Patton took a deep breath as two eyes lit up, glowing golden in the darkness. They walked up the steps in silence, leaving the small room behind them. They emerged into a densely forested area, into the darkness of the setting sun.  
Patton looked around, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light in the forest, hardly able to see anything. He felt Sleep’s hand leave his arm as the sorcerer turned to him.  
“I want you to know that wasn’t your fault. They didn’t follow you.”  
“What?”   
Patton turned, barely able to make out Sleep’s outline in the darkness, other than his slightly glowing eyes.  
“They forced it out of Logan. He sent me a warning.”  
“What did they do to him?”  
“He refuses to say, but knowing him, it’s got to be bad. He’s insisting he’s fine, but even I know he’s just acting tougher than he is.”  
“So, what do we do now?”  
Sleep turned, looking out into the forest.  
“We use the night as our cover to make ground. We need to get to Spirit before the Royal Guard can. I can’t reach him from this distance, but by midnight, we should be close enough for me to contact him.”  
Patton nodded. Sleep started walking and Patton panicked.  
“Wait, I can’t see where I’m going. What if I trip?”  
Sleep sighed in annoyance. He turned back to Patton.  
“Do you still have the amber?”  
Patton nodded. He held out his hand, revealing the crystal. Sleep touched the crystal and a golden light swirled and lit up the crystal. Patton stumbled as everything around him lit up.  
“The stone can absorb parts of my magic, only for a little bit. It should last long enough to get us out of the forest as long as we have no other issues. Now, let’s move.”  
Patton started following Sleep, looking around. He couldn’t see all the colours of the forest, but everything held a golden outline. It was so cool to him, yet different and odd.  
“Patton?”  
Patton turned back, seeing Sleep looking back at him before turning back in the direction they were walking.  
“Yeah?”  
“How was Logan in the Palace? What did he do?”  
“Oh, um. Well, he was the Royal Adviser for the King. He helped arrange the events, plan King Roman’s schedule, things like that. He and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but he did have a caring heart. He would do anything to help the people he cared for, even if he’d never admit it.”  
Sleep chuckled.  
“Sounds like him.”  
The two walked in silence for a moment, only the sound of the wildlife and the leaves moving above them in the breeze.  
“Did he wear a mask or anything?”  
“No. Never.”  
Patton paused.  
“I mean, at first he did. He did for a year, but hasn’t ever since. Do his eyes glow too?”  
“Whenever he’d use his magic or telepathically speak with us, yes.”  
“Cool, but I never saw him use his powers then.”  
“He didn’t like to use them with an audience. None of us did. It gave us attention, and that’s something a sorcerer never wants.”  
Patton sighed, looking around.  
“Do you think Lo will be ok?”  
Patton looked up, hoping for Sleep to answer.  
“He’d strong, but I don’t know what they’re putting him up against.”  
Sleep sighed, his steps faltering.  
“Knowing him, he’ll never give up. He might slip up once, but he will never do it twice. I just hope he’ll hold on.”  
Patton nodded.  
Then they went silent again. Neither spoke as they continued their trek into the night.


	11. The Plan

Roman has gone over the plan with Virgil, making sure they were both clear on what was about to happen. Virgil brought the paper, as well as the ink and quill down when no one was around, bringing it into Roman. The King tensed as the door opened, thinking it was someone else. Relief washed over him as his eyes focused on Virgil’s figure.  
“I got the page. We got to be quick because everyone is finishing supper. We got to put this into action before they are dismissed, otherwise it won’t work and we’ll be busted.”  
Roman nodded as Virgil passed him the paper. He took the quill, dipping it in the ink and bringing it to the page. He took a shaky breath. He never thought he’d have to write this, but now he was and there was no turning back.  
He quickly wrote out the notes, signing off on it at the bottom. He rolled up the page, passing it to Virgil, who tucked it in his belt. Virgil turned back to Roman, sighing.  
“Are you sure about this? This could go horribly wrong in so many different ways.”  
“I know, but it’s the only option we have.”  
Virgil sighed, pulling a ring of keys from his belt. He unlocked the chains holding Roman in place, they offered the King a hand to get him on his feet. Roman was a little dazed for a moment, shaking it off and looking around the room.  
“I’ll keep them going for as long as I can, so just work quickly. Don’t worry about me, if I find a way out, I do. If not, oh well.”  
“I could come back for you though.”  
“No. If they figured out you were helping, they’ll kill you. I need you to protect Thomas until he’s safe with Pat.”  
Virgil sighed. He turned, walking out of the cell. He let Roman walk out, looking up and down the hallways. They made it to the far stairwell, and this was where they were about to part ways.  
“Just be quick.”  
Virgil nodded. He stood at the bottom of the steps as Roman ran up them, disappearing from his line of sight. Virgil waited a minute, then turned and pulled the alarm. A ringing echoed around the building as chaos ensued above them. Virgil turned as a group of assassins ran down the stairs, weapons drawn. Moments after, Dee appeared.  
“You let him escape!?”  
“He must have broken free from his restraints. He was free in his cell when I got here, jumped me when I opened the door and ran.”  
“Which way did he go?”  
Virgil pointed in the opposite direction, and the assassins started off in that direction.  
“He’ll be trying to find the boy. Go guard him, and if they both escape, you’ll wish you went with them. Understood.”  
Virgil nodded. Virgil knew precisely where Thomas was, running up the stairs. He climbed two floors to ground level. He ran down the hallway, turning left, right, then right and left. Three doors down the hallways, he stopped and opened the door.   
Thomas was not in the open. Virgil quickly closed the door, looking around. He checked behind the door, under the desk, in the closet, anywhere. As he closed the closet door, he heard a soft whimper from under the bed. Virgil moved to the bedside, kneeling beside it. He noticed the boy instantly as Thomas sunk back.  
“Hey, hey, it's Ok.”  
“I want Papa.”  
“And we’re going to get you to him. Come on.”  
“No, you’ll hurt me.”  
“I promise I won’t. Roman is out there creating a distraction so you and I can get out of here. We want to get you back to your father. Come on.”  
Thomas, although nervous, cautiously crawled out from under the bed. Virgil picked the boy up into his arms, hurrying to the door. He opened it, pulling the hood of his cloak up and wrapping it around the boy. He glanced up and down the hallway before running. They were just around the corner from an exit. It would only be a few strides away once they got to the end of the hallway.  
If only it could be that easy.  
Virgil made it to the corner, slipping around it only for someone to come around the corner at the far end. And they weren’t happy.  
“Virgil! What are you doing!”  
Virgil stopped, looking at the boy in his arms. Thomas looked down the hallway, seeing Dee standing. The boy turned, burying his face into Virgil’s shoulder and whimpering.  
“Put the boy down, and I’ll go easy on you, Vee.”  
Virgil tightened his grip on the boy, glancing to his right to see the door only five feet from him. He could make it, Dee was unarmed. At least, he appeared unarmed.  
Virgil took a deep breath and dove for the door. He heard Dee yelling at him, barking orders at anyone he could to find them. Virgil just kept running. He knew his life depended on it, and that Thomas needed to be brought to safety.

Roman came to another corner, jumping over another assassin who jumped at him. He was running out of energy, but had managed to evade capture for several minutes. He rounded another corner, sprinting down another hallway with the assassins chasing him and attempting to set up traps.  
He dodged yet another assassin, feeling the tip of a blade skim his arm. As he approached the next corner, he was just about ready to surrender, to give into exhaustion. What lay around the corner made his mind.  
Just beyond the corner, a door. Leading out of the building. Roman could be free. He could escape, find Virgil and Thomas and get home.  
But if he didn’t, it would be bad. He’d be lost in unknown territory, with the assassins hunting him, his lack of knowledge on wilderness survival and more.   
He got to the door and made the decision. He pushed open the door, running as fast as his feet could carry him. He pushed deeper and deeper into the dense forest, hearing the assassin’s fading behind him. Even when the sounds of footsteps stopped, he kept running. He knew they would be able to follow him, to remain unnoticed with their training. He had to reach a village or cabin or somewhere he could have help.  
If anyone would dare talk to him.  
As night fell around him, the forest became more ominous. Roman had to be more cautious, as the assassins could be lurking, but there would also be other creatures in the forest that could be a threat to him. He kept his eyes and ears peeled, on high alert even as exhaustion began taking over.  
So many things were wanting him to just give in, his mind telling him his body had had enough of it. He was starving, dehydrated, injured from the assassins attacking and beating him, and exhausted from running.  
Maybe he could rest now, just for a couple minutes.  
“No,” he told himself. “If I rest now, I’ll be asleep until the morning and they could easily find me. I’m still too close to the base.”  
He took a couple more steps, looking around.  
“But who’s to say they even followed me.”  
He leaned against a tree, sighing.  
“There is no one here. I am talking to myself.”  
He shook his head, grumbling as he pushed himself off the tree. He pushed himself onwards, only about five steps before something snapped behind him. He spun around, looking for someone in the shadows.  
“Hello?”  
He mentally cursed himself, knowing they would respond. He stepped backwards, looking around. He turned, pivoting to take in his entire surroundings. As he looked in the original direction, he finally noticed a figure.  
Roman’s eyes went wide as he turned to run. Suddenly something was on top of him, pinning him down. Roman attempted to escape, trying to pull his arms free and knock his attacker away. Then something heavy was brought down onto Roman’s head. Hard. The impact caused his head to spin for a moment before he blacked out completely.


	12. Mistaken Identities

Roman moaned, shifting in his sleep. He groaned, bringing a hand to his head as he opened his eyes. His eyes burned for a moment as they adjusted to the bright light in the room from the sun shining through the windows.  
Wait, he thought. Windows? Sun? Where was he?  
He went to sit up, only for two hands to push him back down into the bed. He panicked, thinking someone was about to attack him. He moved to fight back, only for the room to start spinning.  
“Please, just relax. You took a hit to the head and you’ll need to rest.”  
Roman looked over, seeing a younger looking man looking down at him. The man wore a loose fitting tan tunic with pink trimming and grey pants. His eyes shone a pale purple colour. The man kindly smiled to Roman as he sat on the edge of the bed. Roman pulled his arms out from under the covers to brush his hair from his face, noticing the bandages not only on his forearms, but around his head.  
“I cleaned you up, trying to heal you.”  
“Thank you, kind sir.”  
The man chuckled.  
“Emile is fine, young one.”  
Roman nodded. His eyes began to wander around the room, taking in everything around him. It wasn’t a big room, but it had everything a bedroom would. Dresser, closet, a small desk with a chair, but that’s not what caught Roman’s eyes. It was the fabric on the nightstand: a bright pink cloth.  
His eyes changed as the man reached over, picking the cloth up.  
“I bet you're wondering about this. I can assure you, it’s not for you. I have no plans of hurting you.”  
“I mean, what would be the point of healing me if you only planned on hurting me again?”  
“Exactly my point. This is something I wear when I’m out and about.”  
Roman nodded as Emile tucked the cloth away.   
“Where am I exactly?”  
“The Enchanted forest. It’s my home, I live on one side, and the Assassin’s Guild holds control of the other. We never cross territory though. It’s never gone well before.”  
Roman looked up as the man stood.  
“How could even be alive if they come into your territory? There are so many of them and one of you.”  
“That’s where you underestimate me, young one.”  
Emile turned, waving his hand as a golden dust swirls from his hand. Roman watched in awe as he realized who this was.  
“You’re a sorcerer.”  
“Not just a sorcerer, one of the sorcerers.”  
Roman then remembered the painting hung in the castle library. Three sorcerers, strongest in the land. They stand for justice, work as heros to protect the land and the people of the Kingdom. Spirit, Sleep and Specs.  
Roman looked up to see Emile looking down at him with a smile. Emile stood waving his hand as an image of three people came into focus in the dust.  
“Are you familiar with the story?”  
“Somewhat. I was told legends when I was younger, but I didn’t think they were real.”  
“We are very real.”  
The image focused on three men standing in the image.   
The left man had a white tunic with a black belt and black leggings. His boots reached his ankles, laced loosely. He had a black cloth covering his eyes with his hair styled back. A chain held a gem pendant around his neck.  
The man on the right had to be Emile, for they were wearing the same outfit: light tan tunic with a pink belt and grey leggings. The boots were the same as the other man’s, only laced tighter. A pink cloth covered his eyes with another stone pendant around his neck.  
The third man in the middle seemed more proper than the others, with his head held high. He wore a navy tunic with a royal blue belt, and black leggings. His boots were different from the others, almost reaching his knees with neatly tied laces. A blue cloth covered his eyes with another pendant around his neck.  
“The three of us met by complete accident when Specs accidentally revealed himself. He lived a royal life long before he joined Sleep and myself, but in his time in the Kingdom, Witchcraft and Sorcery wasn’t a good thing, and more often caused magic users to be feared. We took Specs from the Kingdom, going into hiding for almost a decade until everything died down. We stayed here in the enchanted forest, building this very cabin and hiding here. Very rarely would we venture to the nearby village for supplies as needed.”  
The image swirled, changing to a battle field. Roman was shocked, the image unknown to him.  
“We only emerged from hiding when the Kingdom fell into danger. A rebellion broke out, causing a war across the Kingdom. People in the outskirts villages weren't treated as equals to those in the Kingdom, and the King was cutting trades with the villages. People were starving, dying of famine and diseases.”  
Emile sighed.  
“We only stepped in when the nearby villagers came to use for help. They knew who we were, and they needed our aid in the battle. We defended the people of the Kingdom, dethroning the King at the time. That’s when the rule changed, and the New Royal family came to Rule. The King changed the Kingdom, helping revive the fallen Villages and settling the deals.”  
The image swirled again, revealing the three stones.  
“As a gift for our help in the battle, the King gifted the three Gemstones we wore for years after. Sleep received a fragment of carnelian, the orange stone that is related to the Earth element. I received an amethyst fragment, the purple stone related to water. Specs received the Hematite stone, silvery appearance and related to fire. They stones for years after were used when we were needed in the Kingdom, but as time passed, the calls to the Kingdom were becoming more foolish as the King used our powers for the wrong reasons. When his wife had their first son, she fell ill. We tried our best to heal her, but none of our spells could make a dent in her condition.”  
Emile sighed as the image disappeared, the dust falling and disappearing. He sat on the bed and Roman pushed himself carefully into a sitting position.  
“When we couldn’t heal her, the King lost it on us, claiming we were frauds and banishing us. Luckily, he’d never seen our true appearance as we hide our faces. We disappeared to our home, where we remained for a year. We heard that the Queen had a second son before passing on. When we heard this news, we knew our time in the Kingdom was over. We buried the stones that were once a gift to us in the forest, then went our separate ways. I kept in touch with Specs and Sleep up until about two years ago when I lost contact with both of them. They’ve passed the barriers of my magic and are beyond my reach.”  
Emile looked up at the ceiling, sighing.  
“I know they are still out there somewhere, I just don’t know where to even look for them.”  
Emile turned, looking to Roman.  
“I’ve heard rumors that the King has vanished and his brother has taken rule. The Kingdom has fallen into dark times.”  
Roman chuckled, cluing into the fact the Emile didn’t know who he was.  
“You haven’t seen the King or Duke in years, have you?”  
Emile turned, frowning.  
“No, I haven’t been to the Kingdom in almost 20 years. Why?”  
Roman chuckled, smiling at Emile.  
“King Roman, at your service.”  
Emile’s eyes went wide as Roman chuckled. Emile stood, taking deep breaths as he ran his fingers through his hair.  
“The King is in the cabin. He is here, in my presence after all this time.”  
He turned, looking at Roman.  
“Oh no, I hit you over the head. I hit the King. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. I can’t believe I did that.”  
“It’s alright, I’m fine. I’ll heal.”  
Emile nodded, a little dazed.   
“We should get you back to the Kingdom, your majesty. Everyone has been worried about your disappearance.”  
Roman shook his head.  
“My brother has the throne, he won’t surrender it that easily. It will be a battle to get it back.”  
Emile nodded, sighing softly.  
Suddenly Emile stood straight up, his eyes becoming a glowing magenta colour. Roman watched as the man stood still, unmoving for several minutes. His eyes faded back to their original colour as Emile looked around.  
“What was that?” Roman asked.  
“A message from Sleep. It’s been a while.”  
“What did he say?”  
“He’s on his way here. He says he needed help with something, and he’s bringing a friend of Specs with him.”  
Roman nodded. Emile walked over to Roman, placing a hand on the King’s head. His eyes lit up again as Roman’s headache began to disappear. Emile stepped back, eyes still glowing.  
“How’s your head?”  
“Better. What did you do?”  
Emile shrugged as his eyes dulled again.  
“I can heal. All three of us can, I’m just the strongest at healing.”  
Roman nodded.  
“Want to try to stand?”  
Roman nodded. Emile helped him push the covers aside and move to the edge of the bed. Roman carefully pushed himself up, taking a moment to steady himself. He looked up at Emile who smiled at him. He took a few steps, feeling a bit off but strong enough to move around.  
“So?”  
Roman nodded, “a little wobbly, but I think I’ll be OK.”  
Emile smiled, turning.  
“How about we get some lunch ready. Sleep said they wouldn’t arrive until dusk, so we have some time.”  
Roman felt his stomach growl at the thought of food. Apparently, Emile heard it too and he chuckled.  
“I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, I’ll see what I can make.”  
Roman smiled, following Emile out of the room.


	13. The Realization

Roman laid in the grass outside the cabin. He stared up at the clouds floating through the sky in the opening. The cabin was in a small meadow in the forest, with the cabin almost perfectly centered and a small garden to the left of the cabin. Roman was relaxing while Emile went through the garden.  
His mind kept wandering to different things. How was the castle? How were Patton and Logan holding up with his brother ruling? Were people still looking for him? Did they think he was dead?  
“So, how are you doing?”  
Roman looked over to see Emile sitting down next to him.  
“Alright.”  
Emile nodded, looking up at the sky. The enchanted forest could be so calm and relaxing at times. Just peace and quiet other than the birds chirping and the wind in the trees. Emile loved it here for that reason.  
“I never knew the outer regions of the Kingdom could be so,” he paused, “nice.”  
Emile looked over.  
“What do you mean? Have you never left the Palace before?”  
“Well, technically yes. I normally end up staying within the Kingdom walls. Being King normally means everyone is watching you.”  
“That sounds a bit intrusive on your personal space.”  
Roman chuckled, pushing himself up onto his elbows.  
“What personal space? I have someone watching me almost 24/7. When I get back, it will probably be 24/7.”  
Emile hummed, nodding.  
“I mean, I would love to have some peace and quiet in the palace gardens. Maybe wander around to look at the flowers, or find a nice shady spot to sit and read. But anytime I have time to myself, something happens and I lose that time.”  
“That’s rough.”  
“It is. I’d honestly love to just live out here, away from all my responsibilities.”  
Emile nodded, lying back into the grass.  
“I mean, that’s the reason I stayed here. The peace and quiet of the forest. That, and the magic in the area means I’ll never be bothered by any uninvited guests. Just me.”  
Roman nodded, sinking back and tucking his arms behind his head.  
They laid in silence, taking in the moment to just relax and enjoy the peace. Roman had never felt so relaxed, not even as a kid. He wanted to use up every last second of it while it lasted, because once this moment was gone, he might not get another one like this.  
Roman jumped as Emile shot upright. His eyes lit up and he looked around in panic.  
“What’s wrong, Emile?”  
His eyes didn’t change as he turned to Roman.  
“Sleep needs help. The assassins are wandering and they are slowly closing in on his location.”  
Roman nodded as Emile jumped to his feet. He turned on the spot, looking around with his eyes glowing. Roman didn’t entirely know what he was doing, but he figured it was trying to locate the other sorcerer.  
“That way. Come on.”  
Emile was about to take off sprinting when Roman stopped him.  
“Hold on. I don’t even have a weapon!”  
Emile turned and waved his hand. A sword appeared in Roman’s hands, a golden handle with a ruby at the base.  
“There’s your weapon. Now come on, we don’t have a moment to lose.”  
Roman reluctantly ran after Emile. His mind was racing, knowing he could be putting his own life in danger from this, but had faith that Emile would protect him. He didn’t even know how to fight, but some sort of energy radiated off the sword in his hand. Maybe it would give him a fighting chance in the battle.  
Roman ducked and jumped over roots and branches, following Emile closely. A piercing scream sounded from nearby as Roman’s heart thumped loudly in his chest.  
They came into a more open area, seeing two men surrounded by a group of others. Roman didn’t spare a glance at the two before something took over and he dove for one of the assassins. He managed to take him by surprise, knocking him to the ground. Roman tussled with the assassin before bringing the hilt of his sword down on the assassin’s head. Roman dodged another assassin who dove at him before blocking a third with his sword. Roman adjusted his position, then shifted out of the way in time for another assassin to take the other out. He spun around as three more crumpled to the floor around Emile, the sorcerer’s eyes glowing brightly.   
“Watch out!”  
Roman turned, dropping to the ground as another assassin fell over him, rolling for a moment before springing to his feet. A blast of energy shot past Roman, nailing the assassin and causing them to crumble to the ground like the others. Roman turned, seeing another man with a cloak covering his outfit, his hood down with a black cloth over his eyes.  
Emile ran over to him, pulling the man into a hug.  
“It’s so good to see you again,” Emile grinned.  
The other man huffed, patting Emile on the back.  
“Same to you buddy.”  
Emile released the man, turning to Roman.  
“Are you hurt?”  
Roman felt the adrenaline wearing down, and other than a headache, he felt alright.  
“Yeah, I’m good.”  
Emile smiled to Roman, only to turn back to Sleep.  
“Wait, did you say you were traveling with someone?”  
As if on cue, Roman felt someone tackle him to the ground. Emile heard the King yelp, spinning back around and taking an offensive position. He fell out of the position as he realized the attacker was hugging the King, not attacking him.  
“You’re OK! You're alive!”  
The man sat up as Roman rolled over, finally able to see his attacker.  
“Pat?”  
Patton chuckled nervously, realizing what he just did.  
“Sorry, I got excited.”  
Roman laughed, climbing to his feet.  
“It’s alright, I understand.”  
Roman took Patton’s hand and helped the man up. They both turned as Sleep spoke.  
“Spirit, why are the assassins in this territory? They have their half, this is ours.”  
“I don’t know.”  
Roman sighed.   
“They’re looking for me.”  
Sleep and Emile turned as the King looked down.  
“They had me captive, and I escaped. One of their assassins betrayed them and escaped with another captive.”  
“Thomas?” Patton asked.  
Roman nodded.  
“Where is he? Where is my son?”  
Roman turned to Patton to see the man’s hopeful expression and sighed. He shook his head.  
“I don’t know where they have gone, or if they escaped. They could easily still be in the base.”  
Patton’s hope faded from his eyes at those words. He thought his son was safe, but he still didn’t know.  
“Let’s get to the cabin, regroup, and fill everyone in on where we stand now,” Sleep spoke.  
Emile nodded and they started walking through the forest.


	14. Run for your Life

Virgil ran until his legs collapsed out from under him. He fell against a tree and fell to the ground. Thomas looked at him, his small arms still around Virgil’s neck from clinging to him.  
“Are you ok, V?”  
Virgil nodded, trying to steady his breathing.  
“Where are we?”  
Virgil focused to see Thomas had gotten to his feet. The boy was looking around, curious about his surroundings.  
“We are still in the Enchanted forest. I don’t know where entirely.”  
“Enchanted forest?”  
Virgil nodded, slowly climbing to his feet. His body ached, but he knew they weren’t safe yet.  
“The forest is magical, spell lingering longer here than anywhere else in the land.”  
Virgil reached out as Thomas took his hand.  
“What do we do now?”  
Virgil looked down, seeing Thomas looking hopeful at him. The boy was relying on Virgil to keep him safe, to protect him. Virgil felt his side, feeling his bag still there. He had a few bottles of water, a small amount of food and a box of matches. The water and matches could last a while, but the food wouldn’t last them the day.  
“We need to find some food, and some shelter.”  
Thomas nodded as they started walking again. Virgil’s legs screamed at him, aching and wanting to rest. He had run until they gave out, and he still didn’t know if they were safe. If someone had followed them, they could be attacked at any moment.  
Virgil didn’t know how long the boy would be able to walk for, or if he’d be able to keep up if they were noticed. Virgil may have to carry him again, which would exhaust him more. Virgil knew it was only a matter of time before they would be found by someone. Dee wouldn’t let him get away with this, and would have every assassin searching the forest for them.  
Virgil also knew that there was a village who had helped him in the past. Anytime Dee was furious and would banish him to the forest a period of time, he’d find his way to the village and seek shelter there. The villagers understood his struggle, and jumped to help him. They had offered countless times to allow him to remain there permanently, but he knew if he didn’t return, Dee would become outraged and find him eventually.  
This wouldn’t be any different.  
After having run without paying any attention to where he was going, he was having to locate himself, and figure out where to go. He didn’t even know which direction he ran from the building, so he may need to find an opening to look up and direct himself.  
A snap to their right caused both of them to freeze. Virgil wrapped his arms around Thomas, picking him up. Thomas looked to Virgil, his hands gripping the assassin’s cloak tightly. Virgil could feel their presence. He knew there were several people lurking in the shadows, awaiting the moment he turned his back or let his guard down to strike.  
“Virge?”  
Thomas’ voice was barely audible, but Virgil heard it. He also heard the terror in his voice. Thomas didn’t want to go back. He wanted Patton, he wanted to be home again.  
Virgil looked back up, evaluating the situation. He was alone, and wouldn’t be able to defend himself with Thomas in his arms. He couldn’t set Thomas down in fear of the others grabbing him and running off with him.  
“Vee!”  
Virgil looked down to see Thomas looking over Virgil’s shoulder. Virgil spun around, only to duck down, his knees hitting the ground as he dodged a dagger that was aimed at his neck.  
Apparently, Dee had ordered them to kill Virgil. Not knock him out and bring him back. Kill him.  
Virgil had one hand around Thomas’ waist, holding him close while the other held the boy’s head close to his chest. Virgil stuck a leg out, tripping the assassin.   
He jumped to his feet, looking around. Two more were emerging from the same area as the first. Virgil glanced over his shoulders, seeing at least three more behind him now. He gulped, knowing they were all high level and had years of experience, unlike Virgil. He was outnumbered badly, and it could cost him.  
Virgil looked around, hoping for an opening, but they had him trapped. He’d have to fight his way out, or he’d lose Thomas and possibly his life.  
Virgil glanced down as Thomas whimpered softly in his arms. He felt one of the boy’s hands move to the arm around his waist. Virgil didn’t want the boy to have to witness a death. He’d be scared, he’d lose hope.  
Then Virgil remembered an exercise he did once when he was training in the village. One of the kids was clinging to his leg while he trained with a couple of the older kids. He couldn’t move the leg, but was able to adjust himself enough to stop the attacks.   
Without letting his eyes leave the assassin’s around him, he carefully set Thomas down. Thomas looked up, horrified that Virgil was surrendering.  
“Hold onto my leg and no matter what, don’t let go.”  
Virgil kept his voice hushed, whispering softly to Thomas. The boy nodded, quickly grabbing Virgil’s right leg. His arms and legs wrapped around Virgil as Thomas clung tightly. Virgil pulled two daggers from his belt, watching the assassins around him. He was still dangerously outnumbered, but he’d have to take the risk. He wouldn’t get out of here without taking someone out.  
Virgil shifted his left leg back as an assassin came at his left side. They jumped at him, and Virgil flung a dagger at them. The blade made contact, and the assassin went limp before he reached Virgil. Virgil flipped his second dagger so the blade faced behind him, and spun around to nail the assassin coming at him from behind in the gut. They crumpled to the ground.   
One of the assassins in front used this as their moment to strike. They charged at Virgil, their blade raised. Virgil barely had time to raise his dagger to block them, falling back onto his knee. He glanced back, struggling to keep his arm. He saw the larger dagger one of the fallen assassins had. He reached back, his fingertips grazing the handle. He glanced up, the assassin pushing on him hard. He reached, and finally knocked it towards him. He quickly grabbed it, and launched it at the assassin facing him. It struck them in the chest and they collapsed to the ground.   
Virgil quickly pulled two throwing knives from his belt, launching them at the remaining two assassins. They made an impact and both crumpled to the ground.   
Virgil pulled his cloak around Thomas, hiding the boy as he looked around. He noticed a bag of goods, most likely stolen, on one of the assassin’s. They’d come from the village, raiding it that night. Virgil glanced towards where the first one came from, and noticed a few footprints leading off.  
“Come on, let’s get someone safe so you can rest.”  
Thomas released Virgil’s leg as Virgil picked him up. Virgil turned and started walking. The footprints didn’t last long, but Virgil could see where they split ways to surround him. He walked in that direction, holding Thomas closely. Every now and again, Virgil noticed Thomas’ head bobbing as he drifted in and out of sleep. Virgil smiled, running his fingers through the hair of the boy.  
“Just a little further.”  
Thomas nodded.   
Moments after he said that, Virgil was able to see lanterns of the village. People were still awake. Virgil pushed his way through the last bit of shrubbery, emerging from the forest. He looked up as two people stopped to look at him. One was younger, about Thomas’ age, and the other was an older woman.  
“Who are you?”  
Virgil knew the voice from when he was there before.  
“Help. Please.”  
The lady’s response changed as she immediately ran over once she recognized his voice. The younger one ran over after her. He took Thomas from Virgil’s arms as Virgil’s legs finally gave out. She caught him, gently bringing him to the ground.  
“Talyn, go get help. Find your father.”  
The younger one nodded, running back into the village.  
“Virge? Is it really you?”  
Virgil nodded, looking up at the woman.  
“We didn’t know what happened to you. It’s been years since we’ve heard from you.”  
Two middle aged men came running towards them.  
“Is he alright?”  
The woman nodded, stepping back. She picked Thomas up, who looked to Virgil worried.  
“Vee!” Thomas cried out.  
“It’s alright, little one. You're safe here.”  
Thomas nodded, looking between the woman and Virgil. Virgil nodded at Thomas, assuring him he was safe. The two men helped him to his feet, bringing him towards the village. They walked down a few streets before the lady opened the door to a house. She invited them inside, allowing the men to bring Virgil inside before closing the door.  
Virgil groaned as they helped him onto a mat laying on the ground. The lady set Thomas down and the boy ran to Virgil, lying down next to him. Virgil smiled as Thomas snuggled next to him.  
“You two should rest. We’ll chat in the morning. The village guard is already about for the night, so you’ll be safe.”  
“Thank you.”  
Virgil felt himself drift off with Thomas already softly snoring beside him. Once his head met the mat, he was out.


	15. Safe for Now

Virgil groaned, everything sore as he slowly woke up. His eyes darted around the room, the memories of that night coming back to him. He was in the village, he was safe. They brought him inside and gave him somewhere to rest.  
Then the empty space next to him became apparent. Thomas wasn’t there. Where was he?  
Virgil began to panic, looking around. He couldn’t spot the boy anywhere. He looked to the door as it opened, the woman from that night walking in.  
“You’re awake.”  
“Where’s Thomas? Is he ok?”  
She nodded, seeing Virgil’s panic.  
“He’s out playing with a couple of the other kids his age. He’s quite alright and people are watching over him.”  
Virgil sighed, relieved.  
“What happened to you? Who is the kid?”  
Virgil looked away. The lady moved and sat next to him. She gave him a moment to respond. She sighed, bringing her hand to the boy’s shoulder and tears slipped form Virgil’s eyes.  
“I messed up, Quil. I’ve gone too far, and everyone is paying for it.”  
“What do you mean? What happened?”  
“They sent me to kill the King, and then they manipulated me. They tricked me, and brought me back with the King. They might still have him, I don’t know. The Kingdom is in danger if we don’t get him back because his brother is on the throne and if we aren’t careful, Dee is going to take him out and then Dee will be in control, and-”  
“Breathe, Virgil. Breathe.”  
Virgil was shaking, attempting to take a couple breaths. He looked up to see Quil’s calm expression, settling him.  
“What about the boy? How does he fit into this?”  
Virgil shook his head.  
“Thomas is the son of the head servant, Patton. They both lived in the castle, and Roman cared deeply for him. I was forced to kidnap him, but Dee took him afterwards. I couldn’t find him anywhere, and his disappearance was blamed on me. When Dee brought Roman and I back to the base, we found Thomas there. Thomas has something to do with Dee’s plan, so we needed to get him out of there.”  
“So people will be looking for you two.”  
Virgil nodded.  
“We’ll have patrols set to keep us on high alert for the assassins.”  
Virgil smiled as Quil stood. She gave Virgil a hand to his feet.  
“For now, let’s find Thomas and get you two something to eat. You must be hungry.”  
Virgil followed Quil, his mind settling. They stepped out of Quil’s home, and Virgil instantly noticed Thomas running around with two other kids, both about his age. Virgil recognized one of them from the prior night, they’re black, wavy hair shining purple in the light with a grey, sleeveless top and black leggings. The other had shorter, black hair with a similar top, only orange, and black leggings. Thomas was in a new white tunic, compared to the old one that was stained and ripped. They were running up and down the street with a ball between them, kicking it around. Laughter echoed, which made Virgil smile. Thomas was finally being a kid again.  
As the boy’s eyes landed on Virgil, his eyes lit up. He stopped the ball at his feet.  
“Vee!”  
Thomas abandoned the ball, running over to him. Virgil smiled, kneeling down as Thomas ran into his arms.  
“Hey, buddy. How are you doing?”  
“Great! Joan and Talyn are so much fun! They are letting me play with them, and it’s so much fun.”  
Virgil chuckled as Thomas bounced around with excitement.  
“Are you hungry, young one?”  
Thomas looked up, seeing Quil looking down at him. Thomas nodded.  
“How about we head to the market square and find something for lunch?”  
All three kids cheered, jumping excitedly. Virgil smiled as he got to his feet.  
“You three run along. We’ll be following.”  
Joan grabbed Thomas’ hand, leading him with Talyn down the street. Quil and Virgil followed at a walking pace.  
“So, are you Joan and Talyn’s mother?”  
Quil chuckled, shaking her head.  
“Only their guardian. Their mother passed with many others years ago when a plague came through here. We lost many, but our numbers have strengthened again since then.”  
Virgil nodded.  
“Many children passed that year, as did new parents. I took most of the abandoned children and raised them as my own. Many have moved on, starting their own lives in the village, moving to other villages or becoming merchants and traveling around the land.”  
Virgil couldn’t help but remember that he was sold because his own parents couldn’t pay their debts. So many children were given that second chance he never got.  
“Joan and Talyn were only two when their mother passed.”  
“What about their father?”  
“No one knows. He was a merchant, travelled the lands. Within a year of their birth, he vanished. He left for the nearby village, but never returned. Word reached the other village, and it was said he never even made it there.”  
Virgil sighed.   
The two stepped into the market square, seeing about a dozen stands up. Four merchant stands, selling goods from other villages; two bakers; and some farmers selling vegetables and what meat was left to spare from the trades. Joan and Talyn ran up to them, but Thomas wasn’t with them.  
Virgil looked around, finally noticing Thomas over by one of the bakers. He was about to walk over when Quil grabbed his arm.   
“Take this and get yourself and Thomas something to eat. We’ll be over by the garden once I’ve got something for these two.”  
She passed Virgil a small bag of coins. Virgil nodded and turned, heading towards Thomas. The boy was now with the baker behind the stand, munching on a cookie as the baker looked around. Virgil approached, and the baker turned to him.  
“Are you his brother?”   
The baker motioned to Thomas, who was sitting on a crate behind the stand. Thomas looked up from his cookie, smiling at Virgil.  
“Vee! I got a cookie!”  
“I’m just watching him until I can get him home. Sorry about that. He’s got a lot of energy.”  
The man chuckled.  
“Think nothing of it. The little ones can be a handful.”  
The baker helped Thomas off the crate, guiding him around the stand to Virgil. Thomas took Virgil’s hand in one of his, the other hand holding the cookie.  
“Your that assassin Quil’s mentioned, aren’t you. Virgil, correct?”  
Virgil chuckled, shrugging.  
“Yeah, that’s me. Kinda on the run at the moment, trying to protect this one.”  
The man nodded, looking down at Thomas.  
“Well, if you need help, let me know. The name’s Terrance, I run the Bakery near the northern end of the village. Oh, and the cookie is on me.”  
“Thanks, Terrance.”  
Virgil turned with Thomas in tow, leading him away. They wandered around, eventually settling on having some muffins from Terrance’s stand. They wandered over to join Quil, Joan and Talyn.   
The garden wasn’t big, but had lots of wildflowers. Small, gravel trails ran up and down the garden with grassy areas where people would be able to sit and relax. The group had sat in one of the areas, relaxing while they ate. Virgil looked around, seeing that some of the flowers were similar to ones that were in the Palace.  
“The land here is perfect for growing plants and raising animals, like in the Southern areas of the land, although most of our produce goes to the Kingdom because we are so much closer than anywhere else. Even the wildflowers can be uprooted and transferred to the Kingdom for gold.”  
Virgil nodded, looking around. Everything was quiet and peaceful, people up and moving with their daily routines. Everything here seemed so untouched by all the problems within the Kingdom. Virgil didn’t want to see the shape the Palace would be in right now, but he knew he’d have to face it eventually.  
He’d need to find Roman first, and figure out a plan. Which could mean going back into the assassin’s territory.  
The idea of going back sent shivers up Virgil’s back. It was a terrible idea, and he didn’t even know what Roman’s condition would be if he was still there. The King could be dead for all he knew.  
“Virgil?”  
He looked up at Quil, seeing her looking worried. He realized that Thomas, Joan and Talyn had wandered off and were climbing one of the trees nearby.  
“What’s on your mind?”  
“I can’t stop thinking about this whole situation.”  
“With the King?”  
Virgil nodded.  
“How about this? You and Thomas stay here for a couple days, make sure everything is clear and that Thomas is safe. Then, you can start looking for King Roman if he hasn’t turned up himself. You can take a group of warriors with you when you go to search. Thomas can stay here where he will be safe and out of harm's way.”  
“Maybe. I don’t know.”  
Virgil sighed, looking over to where Thomas was several branches into the air, Joan and talyn close behind him.  
“At least stay for now. You both could use some rest, and Thomas seems to be getting along nicely with those two.”  
Virgil nodded, finally deciding on one thing.  
“We’ll stay and rest.”


	16. Sorting Things Out

Roman winced as Emile cleaned the wound on his arm. The group didn’t get as lucky on the way back to the cabin as a second group of assassin’s attacked them. Patton escaped without injury, and Emile was able to heal his own wounds, but needed to allow his powers to rest as to not exert himself too much. Despite Emile wanting him to stay inside, Sleep went out to ensure that the magic barrier was strong and undamaged. It was currently their only protection from the assassins finding and capturing Roman again.  
Roman winced again, flinching away from the cloth in Emile’s hands.  
“Just hold still, will you.”  
“Sorry, but it hurts.”  
“It’s also helping to make sure you don’t get an infection, which would hurt a lot more than this.”  
Roman looked up as Patton walked in, carrying several rolls of bandages. He set them on the table next to Emile before sitting next to Roman on the bed.  
“How is it that whenever you and I go anywhere together, I always end up hurt?”  
Patton shrugged and chuckled.  
“What do you mean by that?”  
Roman turned to see the questioning look on Emile’s face.  
“Long story short, something bad always happens to him when he and I leave the Palace grounds together. It’s not my fault, though,” Patton said.  
“I never said it was your-”  
Roman cut off as he hissed in pain, pulling his arm from Emile. The sorcerer frown, groaning in annoyance.  
“I’m sorry it hurts, but my magic needs to rest and I can’t do anything other than this.”  
“I know, it’s not your fault.”  
Roman sighed, allowing Emile to take his hand back. Instead of attempting to clean the wound again, Emile turned to grab the bandages. He started wrapping the ones he’d already cleaned on that arm.  
“Also, just letting you know, I’ll probably need to stitch that last one up until I can properly heal it. It’s too deep and open to heal on its own.”  
Roman sighed, nodding. He turned back to Patton.  
“So, what happened? How did you escape?”  
“It wasn’t entirely the plan for me to escape, I just happened to get away with it. Virgil was breaking Thomas out, getting him away. I was a distraction to allow him the chance to get him out.”  
Patton looked hopeful, his eyes lighting up.  
“Did they escape?”  
Roman sighed.  
“I hope they did, but I doubt they got far. They had a better chance of getting away, but with the assassins out, they might not have made it far.”  
“I’d say otherwise. With the amount of assassin’s out, they can’t just be looking for you, unless they are that desperate.”  
Roman turned as Emile spoke.  
“I’ve very rarely seen this many assassin’s out looking for an escapee, and they are traveling in groups. They are looking for someone trained in self-defense, hoping to overwhelm them with their numbers.”  
Roman smiled, sighing in relief.  
“They’re looking for Virgil. They did escape.”  
Patton smiled for a moment, but frowned.  
“Where are they though?”  
Emile shrugged.  
“They could be anywhere by now. I doubt they would still be in the forest, or anywhere near here.”  
Patton sighed, looking down.  
“But I can talk to Remy and we might be able to figure something out.”  
“Remy?” Roman frowned.  
“Sleep’s real name is Remy, like mine is Emile.”  
“Thanks for introducing me, but I’d rather just be Sleep.”  
Roman turned as Remy stalked into the room, arms crossed.  
“The barrier is holding strong. We should be safe for the time being.”  
Emile smiled to Sleep, nodding.  
“So, since we found the King, should we head for the Kingdom?”  
“I don’t think that’s a good id- ow ow ow.”  
Roman attempted to pull his arm away as Emile patted the cloth over the wound along the backside of his wrist again. Emile stopped, looking up at Roman. Patton took Roman’s other hand in his, taking Roman’s attention away from Emile.  
“Focus on me, Roman. It’s ok.”  
Roman nodded, wincing at the pain.  
“Why don’t you want to go back? Wasn’t that our goal of coming here?” Sleep asked.  
“It’s too dangerous. We need a plan, and we need someone to help us take it back. It’s not going to be as simple as us waltzing in there and my brother just giving everything over.”  
“I guess you're right.”  
Roman’s hand tightened on Patton’s, trying not to pull his other away from Emile and the sorcerer began closing the wound.  
“So, what do we do? We can’t just sit here. They have Specs, Spirit. Specs needs our help.”  
“He’s strong, Remy. He’ll pull through and last until we can get to him.”  
“You really think he’s in that much danger, Sleep?”  
Roman frowned, looking at Patton.  
“You were the one who told me about the state of the Kingdom. He’d only be able to last for so long before he’d start to cave.”  
“But could he last long enough?”  
“I’m sure he’ll be alright, Patton. He’d bounced back from the Kingdom’s issues many times.”  
“Wait, you know who they’re talking about?”  
Patton turned as Roman spoke. The man simply nodded, looking to Roman.  
“You honestly don’t know?” Sleep spoke up.  
“Know what?”  
“That just means Specs did a better job at keeping himself hidden than we would have thought,” Emile commented, grabbing a roll of bandages.  
Roman turned to Emile, then Sleep, then Patton. All three knew who Specs was, meaning Patton knew Specs somehow.  
“I am so confused. How do you know who Specs is? How do you know any of them?”  
“Specs is-”  
Patton’s mouth closed before he was able to say the name. He frowned, attempting to say the name again, only for the same outcome to occur. He looked to Sleep, who smiled.  
“That spell is still lingering, it seems.”  
“What spell?” Roman asked.  
“He went by Specs for years because his true name brought on bad memories,” Sleep explained. “I guess when he left and we separated, he changed his name back but the spell is still active.”  
“So we can’t say his name?”  
Sleep shook his head.  
“Nope. Guess you’ll be left in the dark for now.”  
Roman groaned, annoyed. He looked over as Emile tied off the bandages.  
“So, what now?” Roman asked.  
The four looked between each other, no one knowing what to say or do. The room was silent for several minutes. Emile was the first to speak.  
“If we aren’t going to be making a move on the Kingdom right away, we need to stock up on supplies. I only have so much food here, so we need more of that.”  
“So, a trip to the village is in order,” Sleep nodded.  
“Let’s wait until the morning, as it is too dark to safely travel, and most of the villagers will be asleep by the time we arrive. We’ll travel tomorrow in the sunlight.”  
“All of us?” Patton asked.  
“No, it’s best if it’s only two out of the four us.”  
“The King and I will go. No offense to you two, but I think we’ll have a better chance,” Sleep spoke up. “We should keep apart if we split, Emile, so our powers can defend them and they aren’t alone.”  
“Why Roman, though? They’ll be looking for him, so shouldn’t he stay out of sight.”  
“Yes, but we can cover him, disguise him if you will. He won’t be recognizable, but he is the stronger fighter.”  
“Barely, I have no idea what I was doing out there,” Roman remarked.  
“Well, that won’t be hard to deal with. Come morning, I’ll train you. Then at sun high, we’ll depart for the village. That way, we can be back before nightfall.”  
Roman nodded, taking a deep breath.  
“I can heal before you leave, my magic should be strong enough by then.”  
“Thanks Emile,” Roman smiled.  
“As for now,” Emile continued, “we should rest. Everyone needs a goodnight sleep if we are to be ready for tomorrow.”  
“I agree. You two can sleep in Specs room, and Emile and I will take our old rooms. Cool?”  
They all agreed. Emile showed Patton and Roman to their new room for the night while Sleep disappeared off to his. As they stepped into the room, Roman noticed how similar it looked to Logan’s room back in the castle.  
The room was neat and tidy, the bed neatly made in the middle of the room. To the left of the bed was a small nightstand with a simple lamp on in. The entire far wall was covered by a bookshelf, covered in books, potions and plants of all different varieties. On the wall across from the bed was a simple desk and chair.  
“Welp, goodnight then. See you two in the morning.”  
Emile turned and wandered down the hallway. Roman and Patton stepped inside, looking around.  
“I look so much like-”  
Roman was cut off, unable to finish his sentence. The realization struck him then. That’s who Specs is. That’s who Patton was talking about.  
Roman turned to Patton as the man jumped onto the bed, star-fishing in the middle of it.  
“You see who Specs is now?” Patton grinned.  
“Yeah. Yeah I do. I just don’t understand how he’s a sorcerer. He seems nothing like the story Emile told me.”  
Patton shrugged, not moving. Roman looked at him as Patton laid on the bed.  
“You need to share, Pat.”  
“Why though? Who says I need to?”  
“Come on, Pat. Don’t make me sleep on the floor.”  
“Come make me then.”  
Patton grinned, only to break out into laughter as Roman jumped on the bed, bouncing the two of them as they laughed. Patton moved over as they settled in for the night.


	17. Setting Off

Roman rolled under Sleep’s blade, landing on his feet and bringing his own blade up to meet with Sleep’s as the sorcerer spun around. He pushed Sleep off him, forcing the sorcerer to stumble back a few steps and giving Roman the chance to stand. He looked as Sleep took the offensive stance, barely giving Roman a chance to react before attacking again.   
Left swing, blocked. Right swing, blocked. Kick aimed at the gut. Roman grabbed Sleep’s leg, then pushed him backwards. Sleep stumbled to regain his balance, bringing his sword up as Roman when on the offensive. Sleep barely blocked Roman’s sword, unable to completely steady himself before Roman swept a foot out, knocking to sorcerer’s feet from under him. Sleep yelped, toppling to the ground with a groan.  
Roman kicked Sleep’s sword away and brought his own down towards Sleep’s neck.  
“Alright, you got it. You win. You can back off now.”  
Roman smiled, stepping back and offered Sleep a hand up. Sleep accepted it, getting to his feet.  
“It’s almost sun high. Patton and I have packed a few things for your journey. I can heal you, Roman, so you’ll be at your full strength.”  
Roman nodded as he and Sleep walked towards Emile in the cabin doorway.   
Emile allowed the two inside, closing the door behind them. Roman stepped into the commons area as Patton tucked a couple more things into a bag. He looked up at Roman, smiling at him. Roman and Emile moved and sat on the couch in the room. Roman held out his arm as Emile unwrapped the bandages.   
Sleep walked into the commons room, two glasses of water in his hand as he passed one off to Roman. The King accepted it with his free hand, smiling.  
“Bottles of water, a few herbs, and Emile packed some supplies for you, Sleep, in case you need them for your magic.”  
Sleep nodded, bringing his glass to his lips for a drink. Roman took a sip of the water, turning to watch Patton leave the room.  
“Alright, that should be good.”  
Roman turned as Emile released his arm. Other than a scar running along his wrist, everything was healed. Roman smiled and nodded to Emile. They both turned as Patton entered the room again with his arms full of a few more things. Emile jumped to his feet, moving to Patton’s side.  
“Since we don’t want Roman’s presence in the village to be known, we made a cloak and mask for you. Hopefully, you can remain undetected this way.”  
“Thank you.”  
Roman stood as Patton walked over to him. Patton helped Roman fasten the cloak onto his shoulders. Roman put the mask on, hiding his face from sight. Patton pulled the cloak’s hood over the King’s head, smiling at him.  
“Be careful, Ro. I don’t want to see you hurt again.”  
“I will, Padre. I’ll be back soon.”  
Roman turned as Sleep picked up the bag on the table, slinging it over his shoulders.   
“You set to go then?”  
Roman nodded. The four walked towards the door to the cabin. They stepped outside, said their final goodbyes before Emile and Patton watched Roman and Sleep disappear into the forest. Patton sighed, looking down.  
“They’ll be alright. Remy is one of the strongest fighters I know. They’ll make it there and back before nightfall, I’m sure of it.”  
Patton looked out, seeing where the King and the Sorcerer had disappeared into the forest.  
“I hope you're right.”

“Vee! Catch me!”  
Virgil spun around, immediately dropping the bag of flour as Thomas jumped off the counter. Virgil dove for the boy, barely catching him in time to avoid the boy slipping on the already muddy ground. Virgil groaned as Thomas giggled, jumping to his feet and racing into the bakery. Virgil pushed himself onto his knees, looking down at his water, and now mud soaked outfit. He moaned, pushing himself to his feet and turning to see that the bag of flour at least had landed under the shelter and was still dry and intact.  
Virgil walked over and picked up the bag, turning back to the bakery.  
“It’s a little slippery out there, is it?”  
Virgil nearly dropped the bag a second time as he jumped, turning back around to the door to see Terrence looking back at him. Terrence chuckled, walking over and taking the bag from Virgil.  
“Thanks for the help. This storm came from nowhere.”  
“Not a problem. It’s the least I could do.”  
The two stepped inside where Thomas was climbing into a chair. He sat on his knees on the chair, reaching over the table where he, Talyn and Joan were now decorating cookies. Virgil turned as Terrence set the bag down in a pile of bags. He stood back up, brushing his hands together with a sigh.  
“That’s everything,” he said, turning to Virgil. “You should go get changed before you soak everything here, or get yourself sick. I’ll start a fire in the fireplace and make some tea.”  
“Thanks, but I don’t have any clothes to change into. I didn’t have time to grab anything.”  
Terrence paused, thinking. He looked out the window.  
“Why don’t we go around back and see what I can find for you?”  
Virgil nodded in thanks, following Terrence around to the back of the bakery. Behind the kitchen, was his actual house, not much but enough for him. Virgil looked around, seeing most of it was just a single room. His bedroom.  
The small bed was shoved in the corner, a few thin and torn up sheets tossed carelessly on top. A small rug was at the foot of the bed with a dresser beside it. Not even two feet from the end of the bed, a door leading to a small bathroom.  
It was so small and cramped. Virgil glanced back, thinking about how big the rest of the bakery was.  
“This is where you live?” Virgil asked.  
“Yeah, it’s all I’ve got left. My old place burned down a few years ago, and I don’t have the money to rebuild it, or buy anything new without selling the bakery.”  
Virgil sighed, feeling bad. Even though he struggled as an assassin, his room was bigger than this. It just didn’t seem right.  
“Here’s something you can wear. It was my friend’s, but he moved away and left a lot of his stuff with me.”  
“Thanks.”  
Virgil watched the baker turn and leave him. He quickly changed into the new outfit, which was more fitting of a villager than the old outfit he wore. He walked out of the room, right into the kitchen. He maneuvered his way through the kitchen and out to where the kids were seated, decorating the cookies. He pulled up a seat at the table, watching the kids with a smile on his face.  
This was so relaxing and peaceful.

Roman groaned, pushed himself off the tree after Sleep. The storm had hit them as they reached the edge of the forest, but they still had to walk down the road to reach the village. He was grateful that no one would recognize him, but now he wished he didn’t care about being noticed. All the clothing he was wearing was now soaked to the point of dripping on him. He was becoming heavier and heavier, and it was slowing him down. He looked up, seeing Sleep trudging onwards himself.  
“We’re almost there. Come on.”  
Roman pushed onwards, knowing he could rest once they arrived at the village. Roman looked up and through the rain, he could see the outline of buildings not much further up the road. Relief washed over him as he realized Sleep was right, they were almost there.  
“If you hurry it up, we can finally get out of this storm.”  
Thunder rumbled overhead, and Roman picked up his pace slightly. He knew he was dragging behind Sleep by this point, but he was just too exhausted.   
“I’m doing the best I can.”  
“Oh, I forgot you aren’t used to this peasant treatment.”  
“Excuse me?”  
Roman was offended as he caught up to the sorcerer. Sleep scoffed, rolling his eyes.  
“You lived in the big castle, with everything you needed at your fingertips. You had anything you wanted; waterproof cloaks, carriages drawn by horses, soldiers and servants to send if you didn’t want to go do something yourself.”  
Roman pulled his mask down, the annoyed look clear on his face.  
“That’s not true at all.”  
“Oh, isn’t it?”  
“No. So many people think my life is all this fancy stuff with everything I could ever want. Anything I want, I get. I get everything my way, or no way. But it’s all a lie.”  
“How so?”  
Roman paused, looking away.  
“I never had a childhood, it was all taken away from me because of my “royal duties”. I’ve been kidnapped, beaten, I’ve had the lives of people I care deeply about, as well as my own life threatened. I’ve faced death. I’ve watched my father die and I never got to meet my mother. Everything in my day is planned out for me, and I get no say in any of it. I have no control over any of it.”  
Roman went silent, looking away. He felt the tears in his eyes, slipping down his cheeks and mixing with the rain. He wiped his face, knowing it was only going to be soaked again anyways.  
“I know that feeling of loss.”  
Roman turned, seeing Sleep looking up at the sky. Sleep sighed.  
“All three of us Sorcerers know how it feels to lose someone, to face death.”  
Sleep looked over at Roman.  
“We know how it feels to be exiled and have no choice in our lives.”  
Roman nodded, listening.  
“Specs knows it the best out of us. I still feel bad for him at times. He could have amounted to so much more, but he had it all taken away because of his powers. A gift, or rather a curse, than none of us wanted or had control over.”  
“That must have been rough.”  
“It was, but we all had each other to fall back on when times were rough. Although Specs always had it the worst.”  
“Why’s that?”  
Another roar of thunder cracked from above them as lightning lit up the darkening sky.  
“Not my place to say. He’ll tell you when you see him, if he wants you to know.”  
Roman nodded, knowing the Sleep was right.  
By now, they were reaching the edge of the village. Roman looked around, seeing the small houses and other buildings along the street.  
“The market would have closed when the storm hit. One place is just down the street from here. You head there and get the order started. I’m going to run and get what we need from the store, and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes. Cool?”  
Roman nodded. The two split ways, Sleep walking off as Roman continued down the road. He was looking around, hoping to see the sign. Other than the pitter patter of the rain, the streets were quiet. Everyone had seeked shelter, and with this storm, you’d be a fool for not seeking shelter.  
Kinda like Roman.  
Roman pulled up his mask as he saw the sign above the door. He walked over and pushed open the door.


	18. Found You

Virgil sat with Thomas in his lap, Talyn on his left side and Joan on his right. Quil tossed a few more logs on the small fire they had going in Terrence’s fireplace. Virgil smiled at her as Quil sat in the one chair they had brought over. Virgil looked down as Thomas shifted, snuggling into Virgil’s chest and clinging to his top. Virgil ran his fingers through the boy’s hair making him smile.  
“Are they all asleep now?”  
Virgil nodded, looking up as Terrence walked over to join them. He passed a small tea cup to Quil, who gratefully accepted it.  
“You can join them if you want, Virge. You must be tired.”  
“It’s alright, I’m fine.”  
Virgil looked up, staring into the small fire growing before him. The flames danced around, crackling and popping as it created shadows around the room.   
Although it was still thundering and pouring outside, the fireplace was protected enough to have the fire going. With the change of clothes, the now finished tea, and the warm fire, Virgil was feeling better already. Now, he also had three kids cuddled against him, napping the afternoon away.  
The bell above the door rang. Virgil, Terrence and Quil all looked up. Virgil couldn’t see them, as they were back in the kitchen, and he was seated on the floor.  
“It’s just a customer. I’ll be right back.”  
Terrence jumped to his feet, walking over to the counter. Virgil turned back to the fire, but kept listening to Terrence and the visitor.  
“Hello there. A little wet out there, isn’t it?”  
“Yeah, sure is. Didn’t know it was going to storm until after I’d left.”  
“I’m sure they have room at the Inn if you would like, that way you don’t have to venture back in the storm.”  
“I’ll talk to my buddy and see what he thinks about the offer. Thanks.”  
“No problem, but you’re clearly here for something other than a place to stay. What’ll it be?”  
“Two loaves of bread and a few muffins to go please.”  
“Alright, I’ve got some baking now. They’ll be a bit, so you can make yourself comfortable. I’ll let you know when they’re ready.”  
“Thanks.”  
Virgil glanced back to see the visitor. He’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the outfit.  
“Quil,” he mumbled.  
The lady turned to look at him. He motioned towards the counter, where she turned and understood what he meant. Quil jumped to her feet, walking over to the counter.  
“I’m sorry, this town has a strict no mask policy. Any orders have to be made without masks.”  
“Oh. Um, I don’t know.”  
“Is there an issue with that?” Quil asked.  
She was putting the pressure on. She’s encountered the assassin’s before, and normally they would start becoming defensive about it. This man was different.  
“Kinda, but I guess if it’s needed I can take it off. Just promise that you won’t tell anyone that I was here.”  
Quil had never heard that one before. Virgil was watching the encounter, seeing the nervous stance the man held.   
“We have no purpose telling anyone about you.”  
The man’s shaky hands came to his face and froze as his eyes landed on Virgil.  
“Virgil?”  
Virgil froze, eyes wide. He’d been spotted. He was dead. This was it.  
But it wasn’t.   
“Vee, your Ok!”  
The man pulled off his mask at that very moment, and relief flooded over Virgil. Although, Quil and Terrence became shocked, then confused.  
“Roman?”  
“King Roman? In this village?” Quil was bewildered.  
“I apologize for the unannounced visit, but I’ve been needing to keep myself hidden. I’m sure Virgil has explained the circumstances.”  
Roman cast a quick glance to the assassin, who was nodding.  
“Are you here alone, your majesty? We could find you somewhere to stay, protection, anything you need.”  
“No, it’s quite alright. I have a few allies in the forest. We just needed some supplies and came to get them. I did not entirely plan to find Virgil in the process.”  
Virigl looked down, feeling movement in his lap. Thomas brought his arms up to his eyes, wiping the sleep from them. He looked around, confused for a moment. Then he spotted Roman.  
“Ro Ro!”  
Thomas was instantly on his feet, running towards the King. Roman couldn’t help but laugh as the King scooped the giggling boy into his arms.  
“Hello little Thomathy. How are you doing now?”  
“I missed you.”  
Roman smiled as the young boy wrapped his arms around Roman’s neck, holding him tightly. Roman turned as Virgil approached the counter.  
“How did you find us?”  
“I kinda wasn’t looking. An old friend of Logan found me and brought me to safety. Now two of his friends and Patton are helping me.”  
“I’ll presume your friends with them, and that you aren’t being attacked.”  
Roman turned as Sleep walked into the Bakery, looking at the scene before him. Roman just shrugged.  
“Sleep, meet Virgil and Thomas.”  
Virgil waved to the man, and Thomas clung tighter to Roman.  
“Guys, this is Sleep, one of Logan’s friends.”  
“More than a friend, but I guess that works for now. And you two are?”  
Virgil glanced over as the man motioned to Terrence and Quil.  
“Terrence, I’m the owner of this Bakery. A pleasure to meet you both.”  
Sleep nodded to him, turning to Quil.  
“I’m Quil, one of the Elders of this village. Is there anything I could do for you two while you are here?”  
Roman glanced back as Sleep approached the counter.  
“If we could leave the young boy in your care for the time being while Roman, Virgil and myself return to our home, that'd be appreciated.”  
“Whoa, we aren’t just leaving Thomas here. He’s Patton’s son. We should bring him with us.”  
“And let him distract us and possibly get himself injured, I’d rather not have some kid to watch out for.”  
“He’s right, Roman. It’d be best for everyone if Thomas stayed here.”  
Roman looked down as Thomas held onto him tightly.  
“Thomas seems to have befriended Joan and Talyn, so he wouldn’t be lonely. And he can stay with me, where he’ll be safe until you return for him.”  
“And we can make sure Patton knows the kiddo is safe and out of harm's way while we take the Kingdom back.”  
Roman sighed, knowing they were right.  
“Sorry, Thomas. They’re right. I think it’s best you stay here.”  
Roman set Thomas on the ground, hugging the boy tightly. Roman stood as Terrence passed a bag of baked goods to Sleep.  
“Everything is ready, and the storm seems to be letting up. We should start back if we have any hopes of making it home before nightfall.”  
Roman nodded. Virgil walked around the counter with Quil at his side. Thomas ran over and jumped into Virgil’s arms, hugging him tightly.  
“We’ll be back soon, kiddo. I promise.”  
“And Papa too, right?”  
“Yeah, Papa will come too.”  
Thomas smiled as Quil took the boy into her arms. Virgil gave Quil a quick hug.  
“Thanks for everything, Quil.”  
“You’re always welcome here, young one. All of you are. Little Thomas will be happy and safe here until you return.”  
Virgil nodded, following Roman and Sleep to the door. Roman pulled his hood and mask back up as the three walked out the door. Virgil looked up as blue skies appeared on the horizon, the rain already becoming a light shower.  
“It’s a bit of a walk back, so we need to start moving. We’re already running behind from the storm. Come on,” Sleep said.  
“What happens if we don’t make it back in time?”  
“More likely that we’ll run into the Assassin’s guild. They’ll have the shadows and darkness to their advantage, and we could become overrun and outnumbered very quickly.”  
Roman nodded, glancing at Virgil. The assassin himself was tense at the idea. Roman moved over as they walked, nudging him on the shoulder.  
“We’ll be fine. We all know how to defend ourselves now, and if we move quickly, we’ll make it back with plenty of time to spare.”  
Virgil looked over to the King, seeing the look in Roman’s eyes.  
It was trouble if Virgil knew anything.  
“I hope you're right, Roman.”  
Virgil let out a shaky sigh.  
“I hope you’re right."


	19. Times Running Out

Patton sat at the front window, watching for the King to return. His head rested in his arms along the windowsill, his forehead resting softly on the glass. His mind kept wandering, racing about where Roman was and if he would make it back soon.  
The sky started to change colours, glowing different shades of pinks, purple and oranges as the sun sunk below the horizon. The creatures of the night began to emerge, wandering out from their sleep as the rest returned to their slumber for the night.  
Patton watched as Emile stepped outside, placing a lit lantern on a single post about five feet from the house. Emile looked around, clearly hoping to see or hear someone approaching. The sorcerer turned and returned to the cabin.   
The man jumped as a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked back to see Emile standing behind him.  
“It’s getting late. We should get ready for bed.”  
“What about Roman and Sleep? What if they need our help?”  
Emile shook his head, looking up out the window.  
“He would have contacted me if they were in danger. I would know, but I haven’t heard anything from him since they left.”  
“What if it was a sneak attack? What if he didn’t have the chance to message you? Those assassins could have both of them captive and we would never know. They could be killed and we’d never save the Kingdom, and everyone would be doomed. I’d never be able to see Thomas again because he’ll be lost out there and we’ll never be able to leave. And they have-”  
Patton didn’t realize how badly he was shaking until Emile rested his hands on Pat’s shoulders.  
“Take some deep breaths, Patton. You’re spiralling, just calm down.”  
Emile helped Patton relax, calming the man before him.  
“You should go change and get ready for bed. I’ll come get you if I hear anything from them.”  
Patton sighed, nodding. He walked past Emile, heading for the bedrooms. Emile looked out the window, hoping that the others were safe.  
Something was off to him though. A voice in the back of his mind was telling him that they weren’t fine, that they needed help. He hadn’t heard anything from them since they’d left. It could mean everything is fine, but it could mean they were surprised like Patton said.  
As Emile turned to head to bed, something caught his eye. He looked back out the window, seeing something moving in the forest. Emile stepped towards the window, looking out with curiosity. It could just be an animal, but it could be the others.  
Emile’s heart shattered at the sight before him as two people emerged from the forest, a third unconscious between them.  
“Patton! They’re back! I need your help!”  
Emile ran for the door, ripping it open and bounding towards the two. One was the King, the other was unfamiliar to him. Sleep was barely moving between them, although he didn’t seem to be injured.  
“What happened? Were you attacked?”  
The two laid Sleep on the grass, nearly collapsing next to him in the process.   
“He said he wasn’t feeling well as we reached the forest. About five minutes later, he just collapsed. We had to figure out the way back on our own. Luckily, Virge kinda knew the way.”  
“Virgil!”  
The assassin and King looked up to the cabin as Patton came sprinting across the yard, tackling both of them into a massive hug. Roman laughed, glad to see the man was safe.  
Patton sat up, looking at Virgil.  
“Wait, what about Thomas? I thought he was with you. That’s what Roman said, where is he? Is he alright?”  
“Whoa, calm down, Pat. Thomas is fine,” Roman said.  
“We left him in the village with a few friends of mine. He’s safe and out of harm's way for now. We’ll get him back once we’ve reclaimed the Kingdom.”  
Patton sighed, nodding. He looked over to see Emile’s eyes lit up, looking over Sleep.  
“I don’t understand. He’s not injured, dehydrated, poisoned, nothing. I can’t find anything wrong with him.”  
Patton looked down, seeing the sorcerer almost deathly still.  
“It wasn’t age, was it?” Patton asked.  
“No, our magic helps keep us alive for centuries. I’m much older than him, but-”  
Emile froze. Patton’s hand went to Sleep’s head, or more specifically, the bandana over his eyes. Patton untied it, pulling it away and Emile’s breath caught in his throat.  
“Remy?”  
Sleep’s eyes were open, blinking. But they weren’t the same. They’d lost their shimmering golden colour, fading to a dull brown. He looked over at Emile, who’s hands flew to his mouth.  
“No, this can’t be happening.”  
Roman, Virgil and Patton all exchanged worried looks before turning back to Emile.  
“Help me get him inside. Quickly.”  
Roman jumped in, taking one side as Emile lifted the other. Patton ran ahead, opening the door to the cabin for them. Virgil followed them inside, changing a concerned look with Patton. They followed Roman and Emile back into Sleep’s room, where they laid him down on his bed. Emile sat next to the sorcerer, taking Remy’s hand in his.  
“Do you know who did this to you? Who’s causing this?”  
“Specs.”  
The name was hardly audible, but Roman heard it from where he stood.  
“How? Isn’t he your friend?”  
Emile nodded, seeming to understand what was going on now.  
“Just try to rest, Remy. You need to save your energy. I’ll figure something out.”  
Remy nodded, his eyes closing as he drifted off. Emile took a shaky breath, pushing himself up off the bed. He took Roman by the arm, pulling him closer.  
“We have to go. We need to take the Kingdom back now. We are running out of time.”  
Emile looked to where Virgil and Patton stood in the doorway.  
“Will he be alright?” Patton asked.  
Emile nodded, leading Roman out of the room. He quietly closed the door, shaking his head. He looked up at the three before him.  
“Specs is in grave danger, and his life hangs on the line. The three of us are connected, meaning we can borrow magic from each other, manipulate each other's magic, et cetera.”  
“Why would he do this to Sleep?” Roman asked.  
Emile led the three down the hallway and into the living room. He collapsed onto the couch, his hand coming up to his mouth as his figure shook. Patton sat next to him, wanting to calm the sorcerer but unsure of the severity of the situation.  
“Specs isn’t borrowing Remy’s magic. He’s blocked it completely.”  
“Why would he do that?” Virgil asked, confused. “It’s clearly affecting Remy drastically.”  
“It’s a protective measure that the three of us agreed to,” Emile explained. “When one of us is in danger of exposing the others locations, giving away their identity, anything to put us or the people around us in danger, they’ll either cut communications with them, or in this case, block their powers entirely.”  
“I still don’t understand. If Specs is in such a bad situation, why block people from contacting him?” Roman said.  
Patton felt Emile’s grip on his arm tighten as an image flashed across his mind. A small gasp escaped Patton as he looked to Emile.  
“You mean-”  
Emile nodded. Patton turned, looking to Roman and Virgil.  
“They know Specs sent me to Sleep. They knew I was going after Roman, trying to find him. They’re coming for us, which is why Specs blocked Sleep’s magic. They can’t trace him anymore.”  
“But they’d be able to sense mine, and without knowing any better, they could mistake mine for his.”  
“In which case, they’ll still be coming here to find us,” Roman looked to Virgil, then Patton and Emile. “We’re in trouble.”  
“But we can’t leave without risking the assassins jumping us as we travel through the forest,” Virgil added. “We’re sitting ducks here until morning at least.”  
Emile sighed, shaking his head.  
“Not entirely. I don’t know how long I have until Specs comes to me. He’s smart, and he’ll realize sooner or later. I can get one of you to the village, but I’ll need to rest until I can teleport back here, at least until the morning.”  
“Take Roman to the village. I’ll get Patton through the forest and we’ll meet you two there,” Vigil said.  
“What?” Patton cried out.  
“The assassins can’t claim Roman, and I know this forest better than anyone else here. I can get you through to safety, and Emile can get Roman to the village much quicker, where he’ll be protected.”  
Emile suddenly jumped to his feet, his eyes lighting up as he looked around.  
“We don’t have time to argue, they’re coming. The barriers have been broken, someone’s come inside and they’re heading this way.”  
Emile rushed to Roman’s side, taking the royal’s hands.  
“Whoa, hold on, are we sure about this?”  
Roman glanced at Patton before turning to Virgil as the assassin spoke up.  
“Not entirely, but if anything, we can’t risk you being captured again. We have to do this, Roman. We’ll see you again before sunrise. Just trust me.”  
Roman could get out another word before a pink light engulfed the two, sending them away.


	20. Mistakes Were Made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter is a bit dark, with a lot of death and emotional trauma. You've been warned.

Roman stumbled looking around. His eyes went wide at the horrific scene before him. The air reeked of smoke, everything crumbling as the fires burned. Roman looked around, taking a step forward. His foot hit something, and he almost threw up when he saw what it was. A corpse of a young woman, burned alive in the fire. Roman looked up, feeling the tears building in his eyes.  
“How did this happen?” Emile mumbled.  
“We have to look for survivors. Come on.”  
“Roman! Wait!”  
Emile’s cries hit on deaf ears as Roman was already searching, listening for anyone calling out for help. Everytime he moved the rubble, only to find another body, his heart broke even more. His mind kept going back to the two kind people who he’d met here only hours before. The two young kids Thomas had befriended.  
“Thomas!”  
The realization struck him that they’d agreed to leave the boy in the village. They thought he’d be safer there instead of with them.   
That could have brought the kid to his death.   
Roman was on his feet, desperately looking around in hopes of seeing the remains of the bakery he’s left them in.   
“Roman, please. There’s no point,” Emile pleaded. “No one could have survived this.”  
Roman turned, looking to Emile. Roman was shaking, overwhelmed by everything around him. The once beautiful village was not destroyed, burnt to the ground. Everyone was gone.  
Roman collapsed into Emile’s arms, sobbing. Emile held the King close, trying to sooth him. This wasn’t the first time Emile had seen such mass destruction, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. But for Roman, the royal had never felt so lost.  
Something came crashing down in the distance, smoke blowing up from the sight. Roman looked up, seeing the sign for the bakery hanging all charred and unreadable. He looked to Emile.  
“Please, can we look and make sure. Someone could be alive and need our help.”  
“Even if they were alive, we couldn’t do much to help them. There’s nothing here, and I couldn’t grab any supplies from the cabin before we left.”  
“Please, Emile.”  
Emile sighed, releasing the King. Roman led him through the rubble, finding their way to the bakery. Roman carefully stepped his way inside, avoiding the small flames that flickered around them from the dying fire. He looked around, the building had long collapsed in on itself.  
“Roman, I don’t think anyones-”  
“Roman.”  
Both went deathly still, looking around. They both heard the soft, almost whimpering voice. Roman looked around, and noticed the small room behind the kitchen, although charred and damaged, was still standing.  
“Over there!”  
Roman quickly pushed his way through the remains of the building, being cautious of the jagged edges and flames that had yet to die out. Emile followed close behind him, the sorcerer’s eyes lit up as he looked around for any signs of danger. Roman reached the back room, the door having been melted shut.  
“Emile, give me a hand.”  
Emile nodded, moving to Roman’s side. Roman found what seemed to be an old stirring spoon that had survived the fire. He stuck in the first crack he could find in the wall, peeling away small, thin pieces of wood. It took a few minutes, and Roman’s hands were aching and burned when it was done, but they eventually created a gap big enough for someone to climb through.  
Terrence’s face appeared first, looking out. He turned back into the room.  
“Come here, let's get you two out of here.”  
Roman saw Joan appear beside the baker, being lifted and helped out of the room. Talyn followed closely.  
“Are you two little ones alright?” Emile asked.  
The kids nodded, looking around in shock. Terrence climbed out, sighing as he leaned against the charred wall. Emile moved the kids away from the building, out into the clear, dirt patch behind the bakery, allowing them to sit and try to calm down.  
“What about Quil and Thomas?” Roman asked.  
“I don’t know. They came looking for Thomas and Virgil. They were trapping everyone in their homes, then lighting everything on fire. Quil and I tried to put it out, but we could only do so much. We kept it from the back room with the water we had, but the heat was so much.”  
“And Thomas? Where’s Thomas?”  
“They took him and ran. Quil tried to go after them, but she didn’t make it out of the bakery.”  
“Who is they? Who took him?”  
“The Assassins. I don’t know how they realized they were here.”  
Roman looked over as Emile approached them.  
“They followed you. It’s why you weren’t attacked, they were following you and biding their time for their true attack. They saw you leave with Virgil and knew they could strike and take Thomas.”  
Roman let out a shaky breath, looking up at Terrence.  
“This is all my fault.”  
“No, don’t think like that.”  
“But it is. I lead them here, I helped them escape, and Thomas and Virgil were here because of me.”  
“Roman, you didn’t know this would happen. And we will find Thomas.”  
Roman nodding, although doubt filled his mind. Emile turned to Terrence.  
“Could you take the kids to the nearby village?”  
“It’s too dangerous right now. The kids are exhausted and sick from the smoke. We’d never make it, and the assassins are still out and roaming.”  
Emile sighed, looking around in thought.  
“Roman and I will come with you. It’s along the route our friends should be taking, so we’ll run into them along the way. We can find some recruitments and then head for the Palace afterwards.”  
“Are you sure, Emile?”  
Emile looked at Roman, nodding.  
“We don’t have much of a choice. Come on.”  
The three walked over to Joan and Talyn, where the two were barely awake. Emile scooped Talyn into his arms, and Terrence picked up Joan. After that, Emile took the lead as they set off into the night, hoping to reach the neighbouring village by sunrise.


	21. Sorrowful

Emile, Patton, Roman and Virgil sat in the bedroom at the village Inn, letting everything from that night sink it. Even though Roman was the one to witness the devastation across the village, Virgil seemed to be hurt the most. The assassin had grown to know everyone in that village, some people becoming more like family than anything else. They’d help him through so much, and now he’d never be able to repay them.  
Patton was snuggled against Roman, unable to cry anymore as he’d been crying almost all night. Patton had been drifting in and out of sleep until Emile finally used his magic to help the man rest more easily.   
Roman looked out the window, looking at the new village before them. Both Patton and Virgil were asleep, giving him some time to stop and think. He couldn’t help but feel like he was at fault for everything.   
Roman looked over his shoulder as the door opened, Emile walking in. The sorcerer set a few bags from the market on the table, letting out a sigh.  
“I didn’t get far before someone recognized me. The people here are against magic, and once they realized I was a sorcerer, they refused to deal with me anymore.”  
Roman sighed, knowing they wouldn’t get much help here with Emile on their side.  
“So, what do we do now?”  
“We’ll look for any of your men who have escaped the Palace. The rumor going about is that they’ve set up camp just south of the village, so it shouldn’t be hard to find them. Once we do, we can make a charge at-”  
Emile cut off as he stumbled, falling against the table. Roman ran to his side as Virgil stirred in his bed. Roman managed to catch the sorcerer as his legs tried to give out.  
“Whoa, hold on, Emile.”  
Emile nodded, trying to focus on anything around him and clearly struggling. Roman helped him over to the bed, lying him down as Virgil got to his feet. Roman took Emile’s hand, watching the sorcerer’s eyes starting to dull in colour, similar to what Sleep’s eyes did.   
“Emile. Is it Specs?”  
Emile nodded, unable to speak. Roman looked up at Virgil.  
“Wake Patton. We need to go. Time’s running out.”  
Virgil nodded, moving to the other bed. Roman walked out of the room, going to the one next door where Terrence was with Joan and Talyn. He knocked on the door, waiting a moment to be greeted by a tired Terrence.  
“What’s up?”  
“Emile isn’t faring too well. The rest of us need to keep moving, but he’s in no condition to come along. Could you watch him?”  
“Yeah. Let’s bring him to my room, and I’ll watch over him.”  
Roman nodding, bringing Terrence into the other room, where Patton was now sitting up in his bed. Roman moved to Emile’s bed side, gently shaking his shoulder. Emile looked up at him.  
“We’re going to move you over to Terrence’s room. He’ll watch over you once we leave.”  
Emile nodded his head slightly. Roman and Terrence helped to get Emile out of bed. Both of them took their place beside him, guiding him out of the room and into Terrence’s room. They rested him on the bed, and Roman gave the sorcerer a soft hug.  
“Be careful,” Emile mumbled.  
“We will. I’ll come back to see you once this is all over. I promise.”  
Emile smiled, and drifted off to sleep. Roman stood, taking a deep breath. He looked to Terrence, who sat next to Emile on the bed.  
“He’ll be in good hands. Good luck, your majesty.”  
Roman nodded, walking out. He turned, seeing Patton and Virgil closing the door to their room. Virgil had his bag over his shoulder.  
“We’ve got everything, let’s head out.”  
Roman nodded as Patton passed him a cloak. Roman pulled it on, tossing the hood over his head. With that, the group dropped from four to three, and they were setting off.

The three left the village behind them, heading south from the village down the road. After asking a few villagers, they were able to have a better idea of where they were going. About 20 minutes south of the village, they’ll find a small forested lot where they will break off and head towards the west. Eventually, they would run into the camp within a few minutes. Deep enough into the forest that they wouldn’t be noticeable from the road, but close enough people could find them if needed.  
The three had their hoods up as they entered the forest. Roman was looking around, feeling the nerves creeping up on him. He kept himself on high alert, looking around. Virgil had become tense as they walked deeper into the forest.  
“I can sense people watching us from nearby,” Virgil whispered to the other two.  
“Friend or foe?” Roman asked.  
“I can’t tell. I don’t know them.”  
That didn’t help Roman. They continued a few more paces before Virgil paused. He looked around listening. Roman looked at him confused, stepping towards him.  
Then everything happened so quickly.  
Within seconds, Roman’s world flipped upside. A rope was hidden on the ground. The trap was triggered as Roman stepped in it, pulling his legs from under him and pulling him into the air. He yelped, dizzy from the trap.  
Virgil and Patton panicked as a group surrounded them, pointing their swords at the three.  
“State your business here.” one barked out.  
Patton glanced at Virgil, seeing the assassin looking at him.  
“We, uh,” Patton stuttered. “We, uh.”  
“We came for your assistance. We need help.” Virgil answered.  
“Assassins don’t belong here. Leave before we kill you all.”  
“Whoa, you’re mistaken. We aren’t assassins,” Patton cried out.  
He brushed his hood down, looking around at the group. They slowly lowered they weapons while still remaining on high alert.  
“Sir Patton. Our apologies. We didn’t realize it was you.”  
“What about me!”  
Roman was growing annoyed hanging from the tree. He was still spinning a slight bit, ground rather disoriented from being upside down. He knew by then that the group hadn’t clued in to who they were, and it felt a little offensive.  
One of the group members nodded, cutting the rope holding him up. Roman groaned as he landed on the ground with a thud. Virgil and Patton moved to his side, helping him to his feet. Roman shook his head, his hair falling into place. He dusted himself off, checking for injuries in the process.  
“Ro?”  
The King looked up as Virgil muttered his name. The entire group around them was starting at him in shock. He was becoming slightly creeped out.  
“You think they realize you now,” Patton joked.  
Roman nodded.  
“Your majesty. We didn’t realize it was you. We are so sorry about all that.”  
“It’s quite alright. It’s not the worst thing I’ve dealt with the past couple days.”  
“Follow us, we’ll take you to the camp. Everyone will be grateful to see you again. It’s been so long and people were beginning to lose hope we’d find you.”  
Roman, Virgil and Patton followed the group. They only walked for a minute or two before the forest opened into a clearing where several tents littered the area. People were walking around, chatting with one another, sparing with their weapons or even hand to hand. The group around them dispersed as the leader led them into one of the larger tents.   
Roman looked up as they stepped inside, seeing the Head Guard talking with another group of five guards, all looking rather defeated.  
“We’ll find eventually, boys. We just got to keep looking.”  
“Look no further,” the group leader spoke up.  
The Head Guard turned to them, his eyes flying to Roman.  
“Your majesty. You're alive.”  
Roman smiled as the Head Guard walked over to him.  
“And you have company it seems.”  
Patton nodded while Virgil sunk back, worried. Roman noticed.  
“What’s wrong, Vee?”  
“I’m scared they’ll hurt me. I helped with-”  
“Virgil, you’ve changed. You’ve grown and you’ve helped us get here. You’re safe.”  
Virgil nodded, removing his hood. As he expected, the Head Guard’s hands flew to his sword.  
“Whoa, relax. He’s not going to hurt anyone here. He’s with us.”  
“He tried to kill you, your Majesty. He’s the enemy.”  
“No, he’s not. He helped me escape the Assassins. He might have made some mistakes, but he’s changed. He’s done nothing but help since then.”  
The guard slowly removed his hand, keeping an eye on Virgil.  
“What’s your plan, your majesty?”  
“We need to take the Kingdom back. Logan is there, and he needs our help. He’s in trouble.”  
“The Royal Adviser? Didn’t he attempt an escape with Patton?”  
“We did,” Patton spoke up. “He allowed himself to be captured so I could escape. He’s still there, and he needs our help. The Kingdom and it’s people need our help.”  
“The Leader of the Assassins Guild is planning on overthrowing my Brother, and if he does before we get the throne back, it will make it that much harder for us.”  
“Understood. Let’s start working out a plan.”  
Roman nodded. The group sat around the table, the generals being called and joining the group as they sorted out the plan. After careful thought, and Virgil’s opinions as an assassin on the ideas, the plan was set.   
As the sun set below the horizon, everyone in the camp settled into bed. The final night of sleep before they would set out for the Kingdom. They would be able to reach the Kingdom just before nightfall the next night. They would set up to attack at dusk when the Kingdom is most vulnerable.  
Roman just hoped that it would be soon enough and that they weren’t making a mistake waiting even longer.


	22. Heart Aches

Roman looked up the Kingdom walls. It felt odd to be on this side of his home. He knew it wouldn’t be for long before he’d be in the Palace, facing his brother for the throne. He didn’t know how it would go. He didn’t know who was in there, or if the Assassins Guild had made it to the Kingdom. If they had, it would make it that much harder because they’d have to factor in that Thomas was there.  
Roman couldn’t help but feel like losing Thomas again was his fault. He’s agreed to having the boy stay there. At the same time, he and Sleep led the assassins right to him. Whatever the boy went through before Roman and Virgil saved him the first time would have been hard. Now that he was going through it again, Roman couldn’t bear the thoughts that entered his mind the more he thought about it.  
The situation for Thomas felt all too familiar to him.  
Roman remembered being torn from everything he knew when he was little, spending day after day wondering if anyone would even come for him. Being beaten, abused, and hurt in ways a child shouldn’t have dealt with. He was given a light of hope, a chance to escape, only for it to be stolen away again.  
Just like Thomas.  
He knew the boy would struggle. He knew Patton was struggling. Everyone’s heart ached for the boy to be safe, to not be thrown into the mess they would create.  
Hoping he wouldn’t become a casualty from the battle because someone made a mistake.  
Roman sighed, looking up the castle walls.  
A hand tapped his shoulder, pulling him away from his thoughts. He turned, seeing Virgil looking at him. The worried look on the assassin’s face said enough.  
“What’s up?”   
Virgil shook his head, glancing behind him.   
Everyone was preparing for battle. Swords and shields, men and women dressed in their armor in groups, being given their missions for the attack. Groups were already setting out for other entrances around Kingdom walls, making sure all the entrances were covered so no one could escape with captives.  
“I’m just worried,” Virgil spoke softly.  
“About what? That something will go wrong?”  
Virgil shook his head, looking at the ground.  
“Are you worried about Dee? Remus? Thomas?”  
Virgil continuously shook his head. When Roman went silent, trying to think, Virgil spoke.  
“I’m worried about you.”  
Roman looked up, locking eyes with the assassin.   
“You don’t know Dee like I do. I grew up around him, having to watch my back because he’d trick me, beat me. I know what he’s like, what he’s capable of. You don’t. No one else here knows.”  
Roman nodding, sighing.  
“That’s why you and I are staying together. If Dee wants me dead, you’ll be able to help protect me.”  
“But what if I can’t. What if we get separated and he kills you while my back is turned.”  
Roman placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders, squeezing him.  
“Do you still have that note I gave you that night we escaped?”  
Virgil looked at Roman, before his eyes glided down to the bag around his waist. His fingers fiddled with the buckle, pulling the strap free and opening it. Right on top, the note sat rolled up as Roman had given it to him.   
Virgil’s fingers wrapped around it, pulling it out. He went to pass it to Roman, but the King refused it.  
“Read it, Vee. I want you to read it aloud for me.”  
Virgil nodded, hesitant. He carefully unrolled the page, seeing the King’s frantic writing sprawled across the page.  
“If you’re reading this note, I, King Roman, have passed while trying to take back the Kingdom. If the takeover ends with a success, I wish to declare Virgil the Ruler until Sir Thomas has become of age to take his place as Heir. I trust the boy has good in his heart, and with Logan and Patton’s guidance, will lead the Kingdom as I would.”  
Virgil’s voice faltered. As he read, tears formed in his eyes. As he finished, the page slowly slipped from his hands, floating gently to the ground. Virgil looked up, seeing Roman smiling at him.  
“I don’t understand. I helped the bad guys. I was an assassin. How could people grow to trust me when this whole thing happened because of me.”  
Roman shook his head.  
“None of this is your fault, Virgil. I see the good in you, and so does Patton. We wouldn’t have kept you around us if we didn’t trust you, if we believed you’d hurt us. You're a warrior, and you have good in your heart.”  
“But what if I messed something up?”  
“You think I haven’t done that? I’ve messed up countless times.”  
Virgil sighed, looking away. Roman had one more thing he wanted oh-so-badly to say to him. His hand moved to turn Virgil’s head back towards him when someone called out to them. The two spun around, seeing Patton waving them over. Virgil quickly grabbed the note, tucking it in his bag and running over to Patton.  
“Guess it’ll have to wait,” Roman mumbled.  
~~~  
Everything hurt. His powers were weakening and he knew time was running out. He looked up, the whimpering boy in his arms crying, begging them to leave them alone. A whip lashed at the shield, snapping but not leaving a mark. He looked down at the boy in his arms, the boy the Assassin’s brought with him.  
The boy was injured, starved and sleep deprived. But they had no food, he was too scared to sleep, and his powers were barely enough to hold the shield protecting them.  
The whip lashed down again, and the boy whimpered, clinging even tighter to the man.  
“He’s growing weaker. It won’t be long until his powers fail and we’ll have them.”  
The man holding the whip nodded, turning away. He walked over to the other man, who sat on the King’s throne. He hated seeing such an evil presence on the throne, but it was the first time, and wouldn’t be the last.  
“Lo.”  
He looked down at the boy, his brown eyes looked up at him, fear filling them.  
“It’s alright, they can’t reach us in here,” Logan whispered softly. “You’re safe.”  
“Only for so long. Your powers won’t last sorcerer. You grow weaker by the minute. By tonight, your powers will fail, and you’ll both be in my clutches again.”  
Logan growled, his eyes glowing brighter for a moment, turning a dark, navy blue, only to fade back to the lighter sapphire blue. He couldn’t exhaust himself more by letting his anger get the best of him. He needed to save what energy was left.  
“I don’t understand how my brother would be foolish enough to let a sorcerer this close to him,” Remus chidded, swinging around the whip. “I mean, it’s the biggest mistake one could make.”  
“Fool one into trusting you, and they’ll bend to your will easily, Remus. Don’t forget that although dangerous, they are powerful as allies.”  
“Yeah, yeah.”   
“Come, let’s see what’s for supper.”  
Dee cast one final glance at Logan before the two left the room. Logan waited a moment, listening as Dee and Remus walked down the hallway. He let out a deep sigh, his eyes fading to their normal blue as the shield around them. Logan felt the exhaustion kicking in again, pushing himself to stay away and not give in.   
“I want Papa,” Thomas whimpered.  
Logan sighed, nodding as he looked down at the boy.  
“I know. He’ll be here.”  
Thomas nodded. The boy let go of Logan as the sorcerer looked around the room. He knew all the doors had assassins standing guard on the otherside. He knew they’d never make it that way. There had to be something else.  
He scanned the room over and over, hoping for something, anything to stick out. He was about to give up hope when he noticed a small vent near the ceiling. Too narrow for him, but just the right size for Thomas.  
He could get the boy out. It would use the rest of his powers, meaning he’d have to face Dee’s wrath when they returned.  
But it would be worth it to see the shocked look when they realized Thomas was gone.   
Logan pushed himself to his feet, taking a moment to get his balance. Thomas looked up at him, confused.  
Logan clued in that even if he got Thomas into the vent, the boy wouldn’t know where to go. Logan reached into his pocket, seeing the crystal that would have been his guide to Sleep before he was captured. It still had energy in it, and it could show Thomas to Patton.  
Logan turned, kneeling next to Thomas.  
“I’m getting you out of here, alright?”  
Thomas nodded.  
“Take this crystal. With it in your hands, it will show you the way to your father. It will keep you safe until you reach him.”  
Thomas nodded, taking the crystal from Logan’s shaky hands. The sorcerer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He’d have to use all the power he had left, he needed to focus. He opened his eyes, looking up at the vent. Using his powers, he was able to pull the cover off and create the opening for the boy. Logan turned to Thomas, who looked at him.  
“Remember not to lose that crystal. Now hold on.”  
It took all of Logan’s strength to focus on the boy, lifting him into the air. Slowly but surely, Logan brought Thomas up to the vent. The boy crawled inside, casting one final look to the sorcerer as he disappeared.  
Logan sighed, collapsing to the floor as the vent closed up again. He closed his eyes for a moment, only for the doors to forcefully swing open. He looked up, seeing Dee and Remus walking in.  
And Dee was fuming with rage.  
The assassin grabbed the whip from Remus, who stopped where he stood, looking slightly terrified at Dee.   
Logan knew what was coming. He knew it would happen.  
“He’s gone. You’ll never find him.”  
Logan smiled, his voice soft. His eyes closed as he let his exhaustion take over and he fell into a deep sleep, his powers too weak. The last thing he saw was Dee raising the whip, ready to crash it down onto him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So quick note (because this confused my proof readers), yes, Thomas is Roman's heir to the throne. They might not be related by blood, but Roman doesn't plan on having children of his own and sees Thomas as a son in someways, which is why he has placed the title on Thomas.  
> Just clarifying.


	23. Breaking In

Virgil hung close to Roman, running through the hallways of the Palace. The entire Palace had turned into a battleground as the assassins and the royal guard fought. Roman glanced behind him, seeing Patton pushing past people and trying to keep up with the Head Guard close to the man. The terror was evident in Patton’s eyes, but Roman couldn’t focus on that.  
They were nearing the throne room, where some of the scouts claimed his brother was. Only there was someone else on the throne. His brother had turned it over to him, just like that. Now the Assassin’s Guild had control. Which meant Virgil’s knowledge on Dee would be needed if they stood a chance.  
They approached the doors to the throne room from a back entrance. There was a small room between the door and the fighting. They gathered inside, taking a moment to prepare themselves.  
They didn’t know if Logan or Thomas would be behind the door. They didn’t know what condition the two would be in, or if they’d be used against the other.  
“Are you ready?”  
Roman tightened the grip on his sword, taking a deep breath and nodded. Virgil stood beside him, two daggers in his hands. Patton was only armed with a dagger in case he needed to defend himself. He was mainly there to help get Logan and Thomas out of danger if they were here.  
With one final nodded, the Head Guard stepped forward then kicked the door in. They charged into the room, setting up in a defensive stance and looked around the room.  
Roman froze, seeing the sight before him.  
Dee had turned to look at them, glaring. He had a hand tight around Logan’s neck. Logan was unconscious and limp in the man’s grasp. Logan was covered the marks, cuts and bruises from the beatings.  
Luckily, Thomas wasn’t in sight.  
At least, Roman thought it was lucky.  
“So, you finally came.”  
Dee’s grasp on Logan slipped as Logan dropped to the floor. Roman winced at the thump of the man hitting the floor. He hoped that his friend would be alright.  
He turned as Remus stepped up next to Dee, smiling. The Duke had his mace over his shoulder, smiling.  
“Hello, brother.”  
“Why did you do this, Remus?”  
“Simple, to take away everything you cherish, all your dreams, like you did to me.”  
Roman became confused, looking down at the floor. What did he do to hurt his brother? It must have been a joke.   
“Roman!”  
Roman looked up, only to be met with a fist to the face. He stumbled backwards in shock. His hand flew to his face as pain flared up in his nose. A trickle of blood ran down his face from his now broken nose. He looked up, seeing Dee smirking at him.  
“Leave him alone!”  
Ro turned as Virgil charged at Dee. Dee saw him coming and grabbed Virgil by the arm, flipping the teen over and launching him towards Remus. Virgil flew through the air before making contact with the ground. He slid along the ground, coming to a rest a few feet from where the Duke stood.   
“Got’cha!”  
Virgil was barely able to jump out of the way as the Duke brought his mace down. The mace thunked hard on the floor where Virgil was only moments before. Remus looked to Virgil, glaring. He lifted the weapon and swung for Virgil’s head. Virgil ducked, expecting the weapon to swing above his head. Remus altered the course as he swung, and managed to nail Virgil in the gut. The Assassin doubled over in pain, landing on his knees.   
Virgil looked up as Remus yelped, seeing the Head Guard swinging a sword at the Duke.  
“You dare to interfere! Back down or suffer!”  
The guard cast a glance to Virgil as the teen slowly got to his feet. He was taking deep breaths, readying himself. He nodded, taking a defensive stance.  
Roman found himself mainly on the defensive side of his battle. He was constantly blocking and dodging Dee’s attacks. The Lead Assassin was stronger than Roman was prepared for. THe King was lucky to land a single blow without being blocked or hit. He was forced to watch his back, making sure he wouldn’t trap himself in a corner.  
Roman was stepping backwards across the room, getting closer and closer to the throne. His heart was pounding in his chest. He blocked a hit at his chest, dodged one aimed at his head. He kept trying to counter the attacks, but he’d fail or have to block another attack.  
Their swords collided, and Dee spun them around and launched Roman’s from his grasp. Roman gasped as his sword landed near the door with a clatter. No one was near enough to toss it to him. He looked to Dee, backing away with wide eyes.  
“You can’t escape me again, Roman.”  
Roman stumbled, falling onto the throne. He looked up, realizing he was now trapped. Just like Dee wanted.  
The Assassin brought a hand to Roman, lifting the King’s chin to look him in the eyes. A smirk grew on his face.   
Patton was shaking Logan, hoping to wake the man. Logan was so still, but Patton was able to find a pulse. He knew the man was alive.  
Patton was glancing up at the two fights in the room. His eyes kept turning to Roman, noticing the King was struggling. When Patton was about to call out in hopes of distracting Dee for a moment to get Roman a chance, he felt Logan shift.  
He looked down, seeing Logan moving. The man groaned, his eyes slowly opening. His eyes were a dull blue, sparkling in the light of the room.  
Logan looked around, hearing the fighting in the room. As his eyes landed on Roman and Dee, as the King fell onto the throne. A lump caught in his throat as a surge of energy ran through him. His eyes lit up a dark, glowing blue as his rage took over.  
“No!”   
Dee turned, only for the blast to hit him directly and launch him into the wall.  
“Lo! You need to rest!”  
Patton’s cries went unheard as Logan climbed to his feet. The sorcerer was shaky and unable to completely gain his balance. His eyes glowed brighter with his rage, his hands pulsing with energy.  
Dee chuckled, pushing himself to his feet. He stumbled against the wall, looking up at Logan.  
“Is that all you got? Weak.”  
Logan raised his hand to launch another blast, only for his knees to buckle and collapse into Patton’s arms. His eyes dulled again as his magic disappeared.  
Dee laughed, stepping towards them. Logan looked up at Patton, out of breath.  
“You can’t fight like this. You don’t have the energy.”  
“They can’t win. They need my help.”  
“Lo, you’ll get yourself killed.”  
Logan paused, looking down. He knew Patton was right, but he wouldn’t be able to just sit and do nothing while Roman got himself killed.  
Then an idea crossed his mind. It would take a couple minutes and use any power that had returned, but it could work.  
He focused his mind, searching the Kingdom. He found them within a few moments, focusing hard. The spells he put on them wasn’t strong as his powers were already weak, but taking them off was still a challenge.  
As Logan collapsed, he felt the magic restore in the others as the protection spells were broken. He let darkness take over as he fell back into unconsciousness.  
Virgil helped the Head Guard back Remus into a corner, and once they had the Duke pinned, he was defeated. He went into the defensive, fighting against them.  
“I can handle him from here,” the Head Guard claimed. “Go help Roman.”  
Virgil nodded, turning. He watched Roman getting to his feet, looking around for his sword. Roman’s eyes finally landed on his weapon, but there was one issue.  
Dee stood between him and the sword.   
Dee charged at Roman, knowing the King was unarmed. Luckily, Virgil got to Roman first, sliding in front of the King just in time to block Dee’s attack. Dee growled at Virgil, stepping back.  
“Go get your sword. Hurry!”  
Roman nodded. Virgil swung a dagger at Dee, only for the Assassin to deflect him with his sword. Virgil took to the defensive as he blocked multiple swings from Dee. VIrgil was happy to land a few hits on the Assassin as Roman grabbed his sword and ran over.  
As Roman took his place beside Virgil, Dee stepped back. Sure, it was two on one, but that wouldn’t be an issue for him. He was ready to fight until two more people appeared in the middle of the room.   
One was slightly taller. A white tunic with golden trim loose around his figure with a black belt around his waist. His black leggings blended with his boots, resting at his ankles and tied up. A black cloak with a golden trim rested around his shoulders, ending a few inches shy of the floor. A black bandana covered his eyes with his dark brown, almost black hair falling in front of it. His smirk was clear as day.  
The shorter man was dressed similarly. A tan coloured tunic with pink trim and a pink belt tied tightly around his waist. His leggings and boots matched the other man’s in colour and style, only having the boots tied tighter. A black cloak with pink trimming rested on his shoulders, falling down to his ankles. A pink bandana covered his eyes, his dirty blonde hair flew every which way with the crazy smile on his face.  
“Sorry we’re late.”  
“Let’s get this party started.”


	24. The Battle Pt 1

Roman grinned as Dee struggled to block the powers of the two sorcerers. Plus, Virgil was still trying to take him out. Roman turned, running over to the Head Guard who had Remus disarmed and pinned to the wall. The Duke was struggling against his grasp, but unable to escape.  
“You won’t get away with this, baby brother. I was destined to be King and you know it!”  
“If you were destined to be King, dad wouldn’t have given the throne to me when he passed.”  
Remus growled, attempting to use his body weight to knock the guard back. He failed as the guard knocked his head against the wall.  
The loud thunk of the Duke’s head on the wall caused Roman to flinch, watching his brother collapse with a large gash across his forehead.  
“Whoops.”  
The guard cringed, looking up at Roman.  
“He did need some sense knocked into him. Not that much, but he deserved it.”  
The guard chuckled.  
Roman turned, seeing the battle before him. Virgil was locked in hand to hand with the now disarmed Dee, Emile was holding a magic barrier against the doors as more assassins were trying to break in. Sleep was focused on landing any contact on Dee that he could without hitting Virgil in the process.  
Roman glanced over to Patton and Logan. The sorcerer was still unconscious, sitting in Patton’s lap. The man’s fingers were running through Logan’s hair, his eyes glancing up and around the room every once and awhile.  
His eyes made contact with Roman’s, and he motioned for him to come over.  
“Roman! Main door!”  
Emile’s cry caught the King’s attention. He spun around the large set of double doors behind them, watching a barrier break apart and allowing a group of assassins in. Roman and Head Guard ran at them, trying to hold them off.   
Roman was blocking attacks left and right, quickly being overwhelmed. He was fighting five fully trained assassins with his few hours of training that Sleep taught him. He glanced at the Head Guard, hoping to call for help. He was fairing no better than Roman, only he was able to land a few hits himself.  
“Patton! You need to wake Specs!” Sleep shouted. “I can reboost his powers and he can help, but I can’t do anything if he’s unconscious.”  
“I’m trying! He won’t wake up.”  
The fear was evident in Patton’s voice. Patton looked up, tears brimming in his eyes. Emile was now having to try to block the assassins from getting in one door while Roman and the guard were being overwhelmed at another. Virgil was stepping back as Sleep started attacking Dee more, as the Assassin was becoming exhausted.  
Patton looked down, seeing the still sorcerer in his lap.  
“Lo, please. You need to wake up.”   
Patton brushed his hand over Logan’s cheek, then took Lo’s hand in his. It felt cold. He looked down, noticing how pale Logan was getting.  
“Something’s wrong with him!”   
Both Emile and Sleep turned to them at that. Emile reacted first.  
“Virgil, I need you to take over for Sleep so he can cover me!”  
Virgil nodded. He ran at Dee, knocking the assassin over. Remy turned, shooting a blast of magic in Emile’s direction. The other sorcerer barely moved in time to avoid the hit. Multiple assassins few back out the door, giving Emile and Sleep time to switch out.  
Emile ran over to Patton, sliding down onto his knees next to them. He reached his hands out, his eyes glowing brighter than before as his hands lit up. He ran his hands up and down Logan’s body, scanning it.  
“His magic is too depleted to regenerate itself, or heal him.”  
“What does that mean?”  
“Similar to when you get sick, but he can’t fight back and recover.”  
“So he’s going to die?”  
Emile shook his head. He carefully took Logan from Patton. He shifted so he was cross-legged and rested Logan’s head in his lap.  
“I should be able to heal him, I’ve done it before, but he wasn’t this bad.”  
“Hurry it up, Emile! We’re running out of time here!”  
Emile looked up to see Sleep slowly being overwhelmed. He didn’t dare look to see the mess at the other door. He turned back to Logan, focusing on the sorcerer in his lap.  
Patton watched as Emile placed his hands on Logan’s head, one over each ear. Emile took a deep breath, dropping his head down. His hands lit up a bright pink, brighter than Patton had ever seen before. The colour slowly changed, fading to a white. As the colour settled, Logan gasped, his eyes flying open. Logan’s eyes were glowing a bright blue, unmoving as he stared out.  
The glow from Emile faded as he moved away. Logan remained still for a moment, then recovered from his shock and started looking around.  
“What’s going on?”  
Patton smiled, lunging at Logan and pulling him into a tight hug.  
“Your Ok!”  
Logan blinked, unable to comprehend what was going on. Patton backed away as Emile patted his friend on the back.  
“Great to have you back, Specs. We need some help.”  
Logan nodded. He climbed to his feet, stumbling for a moment. Emile looked at him concerned, but brushed it off as Logan nodded to him.  
“Sleep! It’s now or never!” Emile shouted.  
Sleep turned from the assassins, running to meet with Logan and Emile.  
“Specs, Spirit, ready?” Sleep asked.  
“I’ve been waiting for a chance to do this again,” Logan grinned.  
Emile just nodded. The three took hands, dropping their heads. They channeled their powers, sharing them with each other to strengthen each other. Patton watched in awe, the only one not distracted by assassins still breaking in.  
The three’s hands started glowing, getting brighter and brighter. The light was becoming blinding, illuminating the entire room.  
“What in the world!” Dee shouted.  
Patton looked over, seeing both Dee and Virgil had stopped, trying to block their eyes from the light.  
“What are they doing!”  
Sleep began chanting something in an ancient language none of the others understood. The powers began to form a ring of gold, blue and pink around the three. The ring grew in size, encircling the three. Patton watched in awe, then he clued in to what was about to happen.  
“Get down!” Patton shouted.   
And just in time. He dropped to the floor as the ring exploded outwards, bringing destruction to anything in it’s immediate path. His ears rang for several minutes as he laid on the ground unmoving. Patton heard screaming and yelling, the crashing and crumbling of the damaged walls, everything.  
Once his ears stopped ringing and everything started coming back to focus, he slowly looked up. The throne room was practically destroyed, but all his friends seemed unharmed. Roman had gotten to his knees, looking around. He spotted Patton and came running to his fatherly figure. Roman helped Patton to his feet, looking around the room.  
The three sorcerers stood were still in a circle in the middle of the damage. They were surveying the area, checking for anything else. Virgil had gotten to his feet and was looking around. The walls behind were intact, minus a few cracks as he was furthest from the blast.  
“Where’s Dee?” Virgil cried out.   
Everyone tensed looking around the room. Dee wasn’t anywhere in their line of sight, nor was he one of the few assassins who weren’t lucky enough to escape the blast.  
“I don’t see him,” Sleep called out.  
“He has to be somewhere, keep looking.”  
Roman began moving around the room, being mindful of the rubble around him. He made his way to the corner where his brother is.  
Or was. He wasn’t there.  
“Remus is gone. He took my brother and fled,” Roman called out.  
Roman looked up as Emile moved to his side.   
“No, Remus recovered and used the explosion as a distraction. He left on his own, I saw it.”  
“And you didn’t stop him!”   
“Didn’t have the chance.”  
Roman groaned, knowing he’d have to deal with his brother again. But that left the question of where Dee was.  
“Papa!”  
Everyone spun around to the door, terror running through them. The voice calling was that of a child, a terrified one.   
Moments later, Dee emerged from the rubble, barely a mark left on him.  
And in his arms, with a dagger to his neck, a terrified Thomas.


	25. The Battle Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might wanna grab tissues for this chapter. Character death, injury and more angst. You've been warned.

“Thomas!”  
“Papa!”  
Roman grabbed a hold of Patton’s arms, stopping the man from running to his son. Patton pulled on Roman, trying to let go.  
“What are you doing?” Patton cried.  
“You need to stop and think, Patton.”  
Roman put his hands firmly on Patton’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes.  
“Dee has that dagger to his throat. You get too close, and you’ll never be able to save him.”  
“But-”  
“Be patient. We’ll get him.”  
Patton nodded, seeming unsure but not willing to put his son’s life in more danger.  
“Let him go, Dee,” Logan spoke up. “He’s a kid, he hasn’t done anything to you.”  
“But you all seem to care about him so much. Clearly he’s important.”  
“He’s a kid.”  
“So?”  
Thomas whimpered as Dee pulled the blade closer. Roman glanced, seeing Patton looking ready to charge. The King grabbed Patton’s wrist, holding him in place.  
“If you want him to live, surrender the Kingdom to me. Otherwise, he’ll die here and now, knowing that it was all because you don’t care enough about him to save him.”  
“Roman.”  
The King turned, seeing Patton pleading for him to do something. Roman looked over at Thomas, seeing the all too familiar look. Roman had been in this position before, the same situation as Thomas. He wished he could tell the boy he’d be alright, that they’d get to him. He wanted to comfort his father figure, to be there.   
But he didn’t have an answer.  
He turned, looking to Logan for help. Logan watched as Roman gave a subtle shrug, seeming unsure of their next move. Logan turned, his eyes glowing slightly as he looked between the others.  
‘I have a plan, but Roman and Patton will freak out.’  
‘What’cha thinking?’ Emile asked.  
Logan quickly explained his plan to them telepathically. Once his friends nodded, he turned, nodding to Roman. Roman took a deep breath, nodding back.  
Thomas cried out, grabbing all their attention. They spun to them, a large gash now running down the left side of his face, right over his eye.  
“I’m running low on patience. Make a decision before I just kill him.”  
Logan turned to Dee, stepping forwards.   
“Don’t take another step,” Dee growled. “I know what power you hold, fiend.”  
“Good, then you should know what’s coming.”  
A blue orb of energy began to form in Logan’s right hand. His left was hidden behind his back, signalling the other two to hold on.  
“You shoot me, you shoot him. You’ll kill us both.”  
Logan shrugged, lifting his hand. Dee growled, the dagger digging into Thomas ever so slightly. Thomas cried, terrified as the blade drew blood.  
“Kill him and you take out your only defense,” Logan retorted.  
With that said, Dee didn’t hesitate. Thomas cried out with wide eyes as Dee’s hand slashed and pulled away. Thomas fell limp onto his knees, toppling over onto his side. Logan shook his hand, grinning as Dee stood deathly still. Emile darted past Logan making a beeline for Thomas. Logan turned, seeing Sleep behind him, his hand pointed at Dee with a golden aura around it.  
“Nice work.”  
“Thanks,” Sleep smiled.  
“What were you thinking!”  
Logan spun around as Patton shoved him. Logan looked slightly hurt, but more confused.  
“You just let him kill Thomas. You let him kill my son and get away with it!”  
Logan opened his mouth to explain, only for Patton to slap him across the face. Logan looked down at Patton, seeing Roman now restraining him.  
“How could you! He was only a kid!”  
Roman looked to Logan, seeming hurt. Logan knew they didn’t understand what he was doing, what Emile was currently doing.  
“Please, just-”  
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, Lo!”  
“Patton, I-”  
“Just shut up! You-”  
Patton went silent, a few golden sparkles flickering around his mouth.  
“Stop talking and listen to him. He’s trying to explain,” Sleep snapped.  
Patton turned, looking to Logan.  
“It was the only thing I could think of. Thomas will be alright, Patton.”  
Paton glared at Logan. The sorcerer kicked himself, knowing how poorly he explained things.  
“That’s not what I meant! I mean, he’s-”  
“Papa.”  
Patton’s head spun in the direction of the voice. He’s eyes lit up and his jaw dropped open.  
Emile was sitting next to Thomas, holding the boy’s head in his arms. Thomas was looking in Patton’s direction, his arm reaching out his Papa. Patton ran to Thomas, tears in his eyes.  
“Papa’s here, baby boy. I’m right here.”  
Patton took Thomas’ hand in his own, holding him tightly. Patton looked up, seeing Emile in full concentration. The sorcerer had both his hands around Thomas’s neck, glowing bright white. He was focusing, putting all his energy into it.   
“Come on.”  
Emile grunted, letting out a sigh as he pulled his hands away. He smiled as his hands revealed a faint line straight across Thomas’ neck. Emile smiled, leaning back. Patton looked up at Emile for a quick moment. Then he pulled Thomas into his chest, hugging his son.  
Tears streamed down Patton’s cheeks as he held Thomas close to him. His son was finally safe, back in his arms after all this time. He was alive.  
“Papa?”  
Thomas put his hands on Patton’s chest, pushing away from him. The boy’s eyes were looking around the room. His eyes were completely unfocused, flickering around rapidly.  
“Papa, I’m scared.”  
“What’s wrong, Thomas?”  
Thomas began pushing away from Patton, terrified. Patton looked hurt as Emile moved in behind Thomas. The sorcerer placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, steadying him.  
“Thomas, breathe for me, alright?”  
Thomas went still, by slowly relaxed.  
“Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”  
Emile held up three fingers in front of Thomas. The boy instantly started looking around, his eyes still staying in the direction Emile was in.  
“Thomas?”  
Emile realized Thomas was beginning to panic again.  
“Thomas, breathe for me. In and out, nice and slow.”  
Emile ran his hand up and down Thomas’ back with his breathing, helping the boy relax.  
“That’s it. Just keep breathing.”  
Emile gently placed his hand in front of Thomas’ eyes, noting that the boy didn’t react.  
“Just relax, you're safe.”  
He carefully placed his hand over Thomas’ eyes, it glowing a faint pink. He sighed, pulling his hand away after a moment. Emile looked up at Patton, sighing.  
“He can’t see. Dee’s damaged both his eyes, essentially blinding him.”  
“You mean I can’t see,” Thomas whimpered.  
“Sorry, kiddo,” Emile sighed.  
“Where’s Papa?”  
“I’m right in front of you kiddo.”  
Thomas fell forwards, wrapping his arms around his father. Patton pulled his arms around his son, holding him securely. He looked up at Emile.  
“Can you heal his eyes too?”  
Emile sighed, shaking his head.  
“Certain injuries are just impossible to completely heal. I’d be able to close any opening, but any scar tissue that would form would just create more damage. I could heal the wound, but I can’t fix his sight.”  
Patton sighed, pulling Thomas into his arms. He rested Thomas against his chest, picking the boy up as he stood. Emile stood next to him and they walked over to the others. Roman was speaking with Logan and Sleep.  
“We have special isolation cells we can lock him in until we can execute him,” Roman said. “Hopefully, we can have the guard built up again and it can happen come morning.”  
“Emile and I will remain here until everything is settled, so if he does anything, we can make sure he’s locked up again.”  
Roman smiled, nodding.  
“I’ll show you the way, come on,” Logan spoke up.  
Sleep nodded, following Logan away.  
Roman turned to Patton with Thomas in his arms.   
“How’s the little Champ?”  
Patton shook his head, glancing at Thomas.  
“He can’t see, Roman,” Emile whispered into Roman’s ear.  
Roman nodded. He stepped towards them, and Thomas sunk into Patton.  
“Hey buddy, it’s me, Roman.”  
“Ro?” Thomas questioned.  
“Yeah, it’s me buddy.”  
Roman cautiously and gently placed a hand on Thomas’ back. Thomas turned, reaching out for Roman with grabby hands. Roman chuckled, taking the boy into his arms.  
“What about Papa?” Roman chuckled.  
“He’s still here, right?” Thomas asked.  
“I’m here, kiddo. I’m right here.”  
Thomas smiled, his head falling onto Roman’s shoulder. The boy softly drifted off to sleep as everyone began setting the rebuild plans into action to repair the damage to the Kingdom.


	26. Recovery

Roman groaned, falling against his bed as night fell upon the Kingdom. He’d spent the day out with Emile and Sleep, healing and rebuilding the village around the Palace. He was greeted with smiles of hope and joy. Everyone felt peaceful with his return, as it meant that everyone could sleep knowing they were safe.  
But Roman knew it would be different for him. Several events from the prior night still haunted his mind.  
Sure, Dee had been eliminated, but his brother was still out there somewhere. He didn’t know if or when his brother would come for him again. He didn’t know what tricks Remus would play, what lengths his brother would be willing to go in order to claim the throne. He’d already attempted an alliance with the assassins, which was now broken with the death of their leader. All he knew was that Remus was a known threat to everyone.  
He also kept thinking to the sorcerers, Logan, Emile and Sleep, or as he found out, Remy. The three were a family, helping each other, working together to do what they could. Despite what the Kingdom had put them through, what his own father had put them through, they still agreed to help Roman rebuild the Kingdom. Roman wanted to find some way to repay them, some way to show they were welcome back in the Palace.  
Especially with Logan helping Thomas. The poor boy had been left without his sight. Logan had been helping the boy learn to cope with his injuries, learning to use his other senses more. He was able to recognize Logan, Roman and Patton’s voices, but still messed them up every now and again.  
A faint knock came at his door.  
“What is it?”  
Roman listened as the door opened. The soft footsteps moved over to his bed, slowly and cautiously. Roman felt the bed shift slightly beside him, and looked over as Thomas snuggled in next to him. He frowned, looking up. His door was still cracked open, but no one else was there. Did Thomas just find his way to Roman’s room? Did he think he was with Patton?  
“Hey buddy. What’s up?”  
“Logan and Papa started arguing. I didn’t like it and left to find you.”  
Roman chuckled, pulling the boy closer.  
“What were they arguing about?”  
“I wasn’t really paying attention.”  
Roman chuckled, sitting up in his bed. Thomas made a frightened noise reaching out for Roman. The King took the boy’s hands, comforting him.  
“I’m still here.”  
“You won’t leave me, right?”  
“Of course not, kiddo.”  
That made Roman question what Logan and Patton were arguing about. If Thomas was worried about people leaving him, was Logan wanting to leave the Palace? He knew that Logan might want to spend some time with his old friends, but he wouldn’t leave forever, right? Roman didn’t know what he would do without Logan around. Sure, he didn’t always appreciate Logan’s need to stay on schedule, but it helped the Kingdom run smoothly.  
“How about we go find Papa now? He might be worried about you.”  
“Why can’t I just stay with you?” Thomas whined.   
He crossed his arms, pouting on the bed. Roman chuckled, his hand flying to Thomas’ head and playing with the boys hair. Thomas chuckled, reaching up to try and grab Roman’s arm.  
“We can ask Papa if you can stay with me for the night, but I don’t want to worry him.”  
Thomas huffed, mumbling an agreement and reluctantly pushing himself off the bed. He extended a hand out to Roman, who took it. The King led the boy out of his room. They slowly wandered down the hallway. Their footsteps echoed on the walls, the hallway silent.  
As they approached the staircase, voices appeared.  
“How do you keep losing your kid? I don’t understand!”  
That was Logan.  
“The first time it was Virgil, it wasn’t my fault!”  
That was Patton, who was clearly annoyed.  
“It wasn’t me this time, I swear!”  
And Virgil.  
Roman paused at the top of the staircase, causing Thomas to stop. Roman picked the boy up, not wanting him to fall down the stairs. Thomas grabbed Roman’s top in his hands, listening to the voices below them.  
“How do I know it wasn’t you?”  
“Because I just got home from the village. I couldn’t have had the chance to.”  
“I highly doubt Virgil would betray our trust again, Patton.”  
“Well, then what happened to him?”  
Roman watched Logan look up, noticing Roman on the steps. He pointed up.  
“Roman has him.”  
Patton spun around, seeing Roman with Thomas in his arms.  
“Oh thank goodness he’s safe.”  
Patton smiled as Roman reached the bottom of the stairs. Patton ran over to them as Roman set Thomas on his feet. Thomas grabbed the King’s pant leg, not moving from his side.  
“You can’t keep running like this. You need to tell me if you're going somewhere.”  
“You and Lo were arguing so I went to find Roman.”  
Roman frowned, seeing that Thomas was nervous talking to Patton.  
“What were you two talking about?”  
Patton sighed as Logan walked over to stand next to him.  
“I was wanting to take Thomas back to the cabin with Spirit and Sleep. It’s possible we could create something that would help him see. Not restore his sight, but give him something so he won’t need to worry about running into walls or falling down stairs.”  
“I don’t want to leave him. I just spent so long not knowing where he was, or if he was alive,” Patton replied. “But I don’t want to just abandon you either, Roman.”  
“Patton, it’s fine. Take Thomas and go with them,” Roman spoke up.  
“Are you sure, Ro? What if you need me?”  
“I’m sure I’ll manage fine. It’s not like you’ll be gone forever.”  
Patton smiled, hugging Roman.  
“Thank you, Ro.”  
Roman smiled.   
“Sleep and Spirit were just out getting a few things for the trip back. We’ll be leaving when they arrive,” Logan spoke up.  
“So, should we be doing our goodbyes?”  
Logan nodded. Roman stepped over to the sorcerer, pulling the man into a tight hug. Logan smiled.  
“I still have a hard time believing you are a sorcerer,” Roman chuckled.  
“Well, I did want it to be a secret, so I must have done a good job at it then.”  
“Yeah, you sure did.”  
Roman looked over as Patton hugged Virgil, smiling.  
“Are you not going with them, V?”  
Virgil looked over to Roman, shrugging.  
“I mean, I don’t have a reason to go with them. And I kinda figured you could use some company with them all leaving.”  
Roman smiled, patting the teen on the shoulder.  
“Thanks.”  
Everyone turned as Emile and Sleep walked into the room. Both had a bag on their back, looking ready to head out.  
“The suns down. We leave now, we can get back by sunrise,” Sleep spoke up. “Shall we go?”  
Patton picked Thomas up, smiling to Roman.  
“We’ll be back soon, Ro.”  
Roman nodded. He followed them to the Palace doors, where he and Virgil stopped. The group climbed into a carriage they had waiting. Roman waved as they rode off, leaving the Palace behind. Roman sighed, his smile fading as he looked down.  
“Hey, you alright?”  
Roman hummed, looking up. Virgil was looking over at him.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Roman replied. “It’s just, I grew up with Patton, I watched Thomas grow up in this Kingdom, under my father’s rule and then my own.”  
Roman sighed, returning to the Palace. Virgil followed, the doors closing behind them.  
“My twentieth birthday is in a few weeks, and I was wanting to be able to celebrate with them. After everything that’s happened, with Thomas’ situation, I doubt they’ll be back in time. If they even remember.”  
The two walked down the hallway, Virgil listening to the King as he vented.  
“I mean, I want them to be happy. I don’t want Thomas to struggle in life because of all this. If the others can find a way to help him, then I’m fine with letting him go. It’s just-”  
Roman stopped, sighing.  
“You’re gonna miss them.”  
Roman nodded, looking over at Virgil. They pushed through a set of doors, into the Palace gardens. Roman looked around, the garden dark in the night with the moon guiding their way. Roman stepped to the path leading around the garden.  
Virgil followed, looking around. He paused as Roman turned, sitting down on one of the benches around the garden. Virgil took a seat next to him, looking around.  
The two sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company. The garden was quiet and peaceful, the little fireflies flickering every couple seconds as they flew around. Virgil looked up, seeing a few stars poking out in the night sky.  
“You were trying to tell me something before we took back the Kingdom,” Virgil spoke.  
Roman looked to Virgil, seeing the teen looking up at the sky. Roman sighed, looking away.  
“It’s not important anymore.”  
Virgil nodded, hearing the disappointment in Roman’s voice. He was constantly trying to figure out what Roman wanted to say. It had to be important in some way. He decided against trying to drill it out of him. Instead, he started working up the nerves to ask something himself.  
“You know, my life hasn’t been the best either.”  
“You’ve told me, sold as a child as stuff,” Roman replied.  
Virgil nodded, looking over at Roman.  
“And now I’ve lost everything I once knew because of Dee.”  
Roman sighed, tears building in his eyes as he looked away. The village that helped Virgil so many times was gone, the people he saw as his family.  
“It’s still hard for me to believe their gone now, but Patton told me there isn’t anything I can do about it now. All I can do is keep moving forward, keeping their memories close to my heart and showing them just how strong I am. I’ve escaped from the Assassin’s Guild, and taken revenge for their deaths with Dee’s execution. I just feel so free now.”  
Virgil chuckled softly.  
“Eighteen, the age where you are told to set off and find a family of your own,” Virgil sighed. “Just when I’m finally set free from my past.”  
Roman turned to the teen.  
“When was your birthday?”  
Virgil shrugged.  
“Today. I’ve never really celebrated it before.”  
“Well, new you, new traditions?”  
Virgil frowned, confused. Roman stood up, reaching a hand out to Virgil. The King smiled, waiting for him to accept his hand. Virgil took it, being pulled to his feet. Roman led him over to the porch where the door was they had just entered from. Roman released the teen’s hand, stepping up to where a music box was. He opened it, and music began playing from it. He turned back to Virgil, stepping down to his level. He gave a little bow, reaching a hand out.  
“It was a tradition in my family that we’d have a ball on a birthday. So, could I have this dance, Sir Virgil?”  
Virgil laughed, accepting Roman’s hand.  
“Sure, but I have to warn you, I haven’t really danced before.”  
Roman chuckled, pulling Virgil in close.  
“Neither have I,” he said softly. “Something always happened on my birthday growing up, so I never got to have a ball before.”  
Virgil chuckled. They attempted to waltz to the music box, stumbling and stepping on each other’s feet for a few minutes. The air was filled with laughter as they tried to dance with each other. After a few minutes, they finally were getting the hang of it. They stepped back and forth, concentrating on not stepping on each other.   
Virgil looked up, his eyes meeting Roman’s. Virgil smiled, earning a smile from Roman. Roman took Virgil’s hand, spinning him out then pulling him in close again. Before he realized what was going on, Roman’s lips were on Virgil’s.   
Once Roman realized what he was doing, he pulled away worried that Virgil didn’t want it.  
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Virgil. I got lost in the moment.”  
“Ro, i-”  
“I shouldn’t have done it. You probably hate me. I’m so sor-”  
Roman was cut off as Virgil hands few to Roman, pulling the King down into another kiss. Roman relaxed, enjoying the moment. As they pulled away, Roman smiled at Virgil.  
“I love you, Roman. I love you for you. The kind, caring, gentleman that saw the good in me, the man who believed that I wasn’t the villain, who helped others see what you saw in me.”  
Roman smiled, tears slipping down his cheeks.  
“And if I’m being honest, this is exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday.”  
Virgil’s thumb wiped Roman’s tears from his cheek, smiling at him.  
“I would want nothing more than to spend it with someone who loves me for who I am. With you.”  
Virgil planted another kiss on Roman’s cheek, smiling. Then Roman spoke up.  
“If I’m being honest, I kinda feel for you from the moment you stepped off that carriage with my brother.”  
Virgil chuckled, blushing.  
“I saw you hesitate, I saw the guilt. I wanted to do whatever I could to help you, to show I cared about you, because everyone deserves someone to love them for who they truly are.”  
Roman leaned into Virgil’s hand, bringing his up to cup Virgil’s hand.  
“And if I’m being honest, even if you don’t return my feelings, I will love you forever.”  
“You doof, of course I love you.”  
“Then will you become my husband? Will you rule by my side?”  
Virgil’s jaw dropped, then a smile slowly grew on his face. He quickly wrapped Roman into a tight hug, smiling.  
“Of course, I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a book two in the progress, so be looking for that soon!


End file.
